Survivors
by dragondrewversion2
Summary: Four strangers; a human, a krogan, a turian, and a quarian; are stranded in London during the Reaper invasion of Earth. Forced together through strange circumstances, they'll need to work together if they hope to survive. Chapter 4: The Face of the Enemy.
1. Prologue 1: The Unwilling Vacationer

Survivors

Prologue

The Unwilling Vacationer

Earth. Though he had never seen it, he had heard stories about it from his grandmother while living on Adonic-5, a small colony planet on the edge of the terminus systems. She described it him as "the glorious home world of humanity, the birthplace of our species which I hope you will all get to see one day, if we can ever afford it." Though described to him as his home away from home, to Mike Reynolds, Earth was just as alien to him as any other planet he'd been on, even though his species had been stuck on this rock for millions of years. He looked out the window of the transport vessel as it passed over the city of London, first noticing the iconic image of "Big Ben" soaring past him at breakneck speeds as they approached the spaceport just outside of the city.

Mike lay back down against the head rest of his seat, contemplating why he had to be here, then having the images from his mother's message to him flash through his mind, the message of his father's death. In truth, Mike and his father, Joshua, had some bad blood between them for the last 10 years, mainly due to their difference of opinion on "those damned alien freaks". Mike's father was a xenophobe in every sense of the word, he hated aliens, every last one of them, to the point where Mike even suspected that several occasions where his father claimed to be out on "business", times when Mike was playing in a game of baseball or on birthdays and wished that his father could be there for him, were, in fact, outings with some of his anti-alien buddies to terrorize a local turian colony. He'd heard was having problems around the same times his father would be gone, so he began to have suspicions, but that's all they were for a time. Then, one night, on his 18th birthday, his suspicions were confirmed.

At that point, they had it out, Mike called out Joshua on his terrorist escapades, his father telling him he "had to do something about those damned aliens hogging up our colony rights". Mike screamed at his father, enraged that he would simply throw his own son aside to get back at aliens that had never done anything to him. After a long hour of arguing, his father did something he had never done before, he smacked Mike across the face. Mike did the only thing he could think of to answer the action; he punched him square in the face, then walked out. Mike's mother begged him to stay, but he quickly convinced her that he had to move on, and that his father's actions proved to him that he can no longer live on their home colony in peace. That night would be the last time he would ever speak to his father.

After traveling from planet to planet for a while looking for a job, he finally stumbled upon a company called Eses Ventures, a group of amateur asari achaeologists, he soon found that they were headed to a planet in batarian space that was rumored to be the final resting place of an ancient prothean artifact. He introduced himself to the head of the group, Narala Cantalin, and explained that he could be their protection for the trip, as they were sure to run into batarian scavengers or slavers. Growing up on the edge of Terminus space made sure that he knew how to handle a gun, especially since his father was so untrusting of any alien life. Though she at first hesitated, she soon agreed and hired him on as their "military escort", her fancy way of saying "hired gun".

The expedition went about as well as one would expect when one attempts to travel into batarian space. A group of batarian slavers attacked the group, but luckily for the group, especially Mike, it was a small and inexperienced band, so Mike was able to take out a few of them easily, scaring off the rest. There would be a couple more skirmishes, but the reward was well worth it, as the treasure hunters found a prothean data cache, worth many thousands of credits, earning Mike a permanent position as their "head of expedition security" as Narala coined him. They hired on a few more mercs and went on many more trips after that, garnering quite the reputation among the amateur treasure hunter community. All in all, Mike had a pretty good position in life, he wasn't rich by any means, but he live confortably.

His mother would call from time to time to check up on him, which he looked forward to, right up until the inevitable subject change to his father. He never cared what his father was up to and always told her to simply exclude him from the conversation, until, that is, a couple of nights ago.

_Incoming call from _Julia Reynolds_._

_Julia Reynolds (JR): Honey, it's Mom, please pick up._

Mike Reynolds_ connected._

_Mike Reynolds (MR): Mom, what's wrong? You sound stressed._

_JR: Mike...there's something I have to tell you._

_MR: What? What happened? _

_JR: It's...*sob*...it's your father._

_MR: What? Did he hit you? I swear to God if he's started hurting you I'll-_

_JR: No honey, it's not that...your father...he's gone._

_MR: What do you mean gone, he left you?_

_JR: No...he...he had a heart attack last night and...*sob*...they couldn't...oh God..._

_MR: A heart attack? You mean...he's..._

_JR: Yes...*sob*_

_MR: Mom...I'm...I'm sorry._

_JR: Honey...I know you and your father didn't get along, but it would mean so much to me if you were here for his funeral._

_MR: ...Ok Mom, for you, I'll be there._

_JR: Thank you sweetheart...I love you._

_MR: I love you too, I'll be there tomorrow._

_JR: If you don't mind, could you stay on a little longer? I...I just need somebody to talk to right now._

_MR: Sure Mom._

When he arrived at Adonic-5, his mother was waiting for him at the airport, already in her funeral attire, as was Mike. Mike wasn't sure how to feel about all this, on one hand, he hated his father for all his lies and xenophobic activities, as well seeing fit to smack him for expressing his opinion; and on the other hand, he was still his father, so he still felt some somber feelings towards his death. Either way, his mother was crushed by his death, so he had to suck it up and be there for her, he owed her that much. The service lasted a good 2 hours, different friends of the family came up to the altar and gave eulogies on how much they respected Mike's father, much to his chagrin. He had to give his father one thing, if it was human, he was as friendly as could be, giving off the look of good Samaritan even. However. if someone's not human, he would burn their crops and poison their water supply if it meant another human colony could be built in it's stead, and that's what he hated about his father.

After everyone was done talking, his body was taken to the incinerator to be burned, then his ashes were brought to them to be scattered. Mike's mother brought them to a hill just outside of the colony, where a lone tree stood at the top. She knelt down by the tree and pointed to a series of carvings on the tree that seemed to spell "JR+JS Now and Forever". Mike's mother dragged her hand across the carving, tearing up as she did. "I know you think your father was a monster. I can't blame you, you didn't know him like I did. I didn't agree with his feelings towards aliens, but once you got him past talking about it, he really was the sweetest man in the galaxy. He loved you very much, even if he didn't show it." All Mike could do is stand there, his hand on his mother's shoulder, and listen to her words. He didn't believe them, but he listened to them none the less.

Julia walked up to the edge of the hill, her husband's urn clutched in her arms. She knew that, in her arms, what was once the man she vowed to live and die with was now cradled in a clay urn, and that she would have to let it go. He always told her what he wanted done when his time came, but she never thought she'd actually have to do it. With as much strength as she could muster, she opened the urn, flung the contents off the hill face, effectively scattering them to the winds. She then buried her face on Mike's shoulder and sobbed.

Mike and his mother simply stood there for a few minutes and looked out over the sunset. Finally, Mike's mother broke the silence. "Honey, I want you to do something for me." Mike looked at her and said, "Sure Mom, what do you need? A box of chocolates? Tissues? A prat fall to cheer you up?" His mother chuckled a bit, appreciating his attempt to cheer her up, then became dead serious once again. "You know your father loved Earth, he always wanted to go there but could never afford to. The trip is so expensive, so he saved up for years to be able to afford it. Just a couple of days before he died, he managed to save up enough money for a trip...for the both of us." Mike looked at her, puzzled. "Yeah, I know, sometimes all he wanted to talk about was how much he dreamed to take all of us there one day. What about it?" Julia walked over to the edge of the hill, looking out at the sunset, and said, "I can't possibly go to Earth now, I have too many responsibilities with the hospital, since the outbreak of Riker's disease over at Ripley's Hope, I'll be lucky if I have any time left to get out of this damn dress and into my doctor's uniform before I have more patients to deal with. So what I want you to do is this: I want you to take this money and go to Earth. Stay at a nice hotel and enjoy yourself for a couple of weeks. God knows you've earned it."

Mike could only sit there in silence until he finally managed to say, "Wha...are you sure? I mean, we could wait until you have a chance to go." His mother simply shook her head. "No, I read on the extranet that only shuttle service from here to Earth is about to change it's price for the trip, soon this money won't be enough for it. And before you offer to pay for the trip later, understand this: You're father slaved and toiled to save this money for years...I can't let all that effort go to waste, not when he did it for us. Please, take the trip and have fun, if not for your father, then do it for me." "...Ok Mom, I'll do it. I'll have fun...I promise..."

**Attention passengers, we have arrived at the London Spaceport, you may now unfasten your safety belts and remove your luggage from the overhead compartments. Thank you for flying with us, have a nice day.**

Mike shook himself out of his flashback and opened the overhead compartment to grab his bags. After exiting the craft, he looked out into the distance to see the beautiful London skyline, from the new buildings from the last century, to the old clock tower he'd noticed earlier. He made his way to customs to make sure the pistol he took everywhere was authorized, he didn't want to be in the middle of vacation only to be accused of being a terrorist. Walking out of the spaceport, he hailed a cab and was on his way to the city. As was usually his luck, he managed to find the one cab that had a defective autopilot, so his was being manually controlled by a human at the the cab company HQ. As was usually the case when this occurred, the "driver" felt the urge to talk to him during the ride.

"So sir, how long you plannin' on stayin' 'ere?" The driver asked in his Cockney English accent. Mike simply looked up and replied, "A couple of weeks at the most." "Excellent sir, you'll love it 'ere in London, so many historic sites to see, as well as some of the best cuisine the galaxy's ever seen." _Not from what I've heard._ Mike thought, remembering how he'd heard from his grandmother that England had long had a history of sub-par cuisine, even as far back as the 20th century. The cab fell silent for a while, the only sounds coming from the passing vehicles as they sped through the London skyline. After a long, awkward silence, the driver cleared his throat and said, "So, uh, you on a business trip then?" Mike thought for a moment and said, "You could say that." The driver clearly became intrigued. "Really? How so?"

Before answering, Mike took out a picture he had kept of his family for years and looked at it for a few moments. It showed Mike standing next to his mother in front of their home back on Adonic-5, Mike was holding a hotdog in his hand while his mother was holding a beer. Part of the holographic picture seemed to be corrupted, but the truth was Mike made it that way, because that corrupted part was where his father was once in the picture. After staring at it for a few seconds, Mike looked up and said, "Because, in a way, I feel like I'm just taking care of some old business."

The driver was clearly perplexed, but shrugged it off and remained silent for the rest of the trip until they finally arrived at the Buckingham Terrace hotel, a towering mass of glass and steel that must have been over 50 stories high. Landing at the halfway check-in, halfway being at the 25th floor, Mike took his bags out of the trunk of the cab, bid farewell to the driver on the front view screen, even going as far as to pay him a 15% tip, and made his way to the check-in desk. The desk gave him his room number and key and he soon arrived at his room. For a 4-star hotel, Mike had to admit, he was impressed; a 20 by 25 foot room with a nice 45-inch holoscreen, decent sized closet and a king sized bed big enough for an elcor. Mike laid his bags on the bed and then laid himself down next to him, kicked off his shoes and put his hands behind his head. Before drifting off for a quick nap, he thought to himself, _One forced vacation coming right up. This is gonna suck._ Little did he know how right he was.

I'm BAAAAAACK. Wow, I can't even remember how long it's been since I actually wrote something for this site. Anyway, I'm back, I've got a great story in my head and I'm ready to share it with anyone who'll read it. I'm gonna be posting up these prologue chapters just to introduce the characters and help build up the story a little. I hope you guys enjoy it and I would really appreciate a review. I've missed reading those.


	2. Prologue 2: The Forgotten Veteran

Prologue Part 2

The Forgotten Veteran

Jorgal Tarok, a name that once spurred fear in krogan younglings and respect from krogan warriors. The krogan that vanquished an army of batarian slavers on his own. The krogan who led a group of some of the greatest krogan warriors from clan Jorgal in defense of their territory during the famous Weyrloc offensive. During his prime, he was considered a legend, a true force of nature...but no more.

100 years ago

_ Tarok stood before Jorgal Glovenk, the current leader of clan Jorgal. Surrounding him are his former comrades in arms, some his students, some soldiers that were under his command, some were krogan he could once even considered to be friends. Now, however, they glared at him with more hatred than he had even seen while fighting clan Weyrloc, screams for blood to be spilled from his throat poured from their mouths. Glovenk raised his hand and the room reluctantly fell to silence. The ancient leader simply looked to Tarok with his one remaining eye, the other having been forcibly torn out in a battle too ancient for anyone but him to remember and began to speak._

_ "Jorgal Tarok, do you know why you are here?" Tarok stared at the ground in front of him, barely acknowledging his leader's inquiry. Glovenk didn't tolerate this show of disrespect. With a speed seemingly impossible of a creature of his age, he jumped from his throne and headbutted Tarok to the ground, putting his dagger to his throat. "I asked you a question boy." Had this been any other krogan, Tarok would have felt compelled to tear them limb from limb, but Glovenk was the one krogan he respected above all else. _

_Tarok looked his leader in the eye and finally spoke, "We all know why I'm here, Glovenk."_

_ Glovenk was satisfied with his answer, "...indeed. Nonetheless, speak your charges." Taking his dagger from Tarok's throat, Glovenk lumbered back to his throne, allowing Tarok to stand. _

_"I am charged with...neglecting my duties, resulting in the deaths of my men and many others." Tarok spoke these charges as if he were speaking of another krogan, though, at this point, he felt like he was. _

_Glovenk stared at him, obviously deep in thought, then said, "Do you deny these charges, boy?" _

_Tarok again looked at the ground, as if he knew that would be his next destination, before giving his answer. __"...no." _

_The room erupted in an uproar, the ancient Tuchankan soil rising in a fine dust from the roars and stomping of his former clanmates-turned-perscutors._

"_SEVER HIS HEAD!"_

"_NO, FEED HIM TO A THRESHER MAW!"_

"_TEAR OFF HIS QUAD AND MAKE HIM EAT IT!"  
>"SCREW ALL THAT, JUST LET US TEAR HIM APART OURSELVES!"<em>

_ Glovenk rose from his seat calmly before giving a primal roar at the top of his lungs, silencing everything and everyone. When the room had calmed, he slowly approached he who he once considered his most prized warrior. He removed his dagger from it's sheath, clear signs of dried blood pointed to enemies he felt the need to keep on his knife as a sort of trophy. He stood before Tarok, his eyes locked on his own, Tarok not even attempting to take a defensive stance, preparing to take the punishment he was sure to get. Glovenk raised his knife above his head and with one quick, clean swipe, his punishment was given._

_ Tarok stood silent for a moment, then he brought his hand to his brow, wiping his own blood away from the gash expertly carved into it. It was a perfect, straight line between his eyes, not deep enough to kill him, but deep enough to leave a permanent scar. Every krogan knew what this scar meant, it was a sign...of exile. Glovenk replaced his knife into it's sheath. "You have disgraced your clan, and betrayed your warriors. If you were any other krogan, I would have torn you apart myself. But your reputation among other krogan clans leaves me only one honorable punishment that won't embarrass us further: exile. From this point forward, you are banished from this clan. I care not where you go or what you do, but you are not to show your face here again, if you do, you will beg me to kill you when my punishment for you is being dealt. You have until midnight to gather whatever you need and go...may the ancients have mercy upon you."_

_ Though no one was particularly happy with this punishment, no one dared speak up for fear of Glovenk's wrath. All the krogans could do is leave their former hero to rot in exile. Glovenk turned to leave the room, but gave Tarok one last glance before exiting, the other krogans following in his wake, leaving only Tarok, who stood in the same spot he had occupied throughout his sentencing, never moving an inch. He gave off no emotion, not sadness, not anger, not confusion, he just stood there, staring up into the sky with his red, reptilian eyes. He knew it had to happen, he just contemplated his form brothers in arms, and how they were so quick to turn against him. Finally, he turned his back to Glovenk's throne and began to walk to his home, where he would collect his weapons and enough money to get him off world, for Tuchanka held no more for him. Everything had been taken from him, more than most would ever know._

Present day

"Excuse me sir, sir?" This shook Tarok from his slumber, his eyes sensitive to the light inside the ship. The human stewardess was being overly polite again, he hated that. If she wanted him to wake up, he would respect her more if she'd do more than ask him to "excuse her"; he never understood humans, and in his mind, he probably never wanted to.

"What?" He answered.

"We...um, we've arrived at our destination sir, the other passengers have already left." She was clearly intimidated, but kept her calm, polite demeanor in order.

"And?"

"And...I thought you might...well, maybe you'd want to...get off the ship?" Tarok took this moment to get up out of his seat, his size overshadowing the puny human female. She took a step back, now more intimidated than her training had prepared her for.

Tarok took the small case from the chair next to him said, "Thanks."

After walking past the stewardess towards the exit door, he caught a quick sigh of relief from the human, and rolled his eyes. If he had wanted to kill her, she wouldn't have had time to speak, he didn't blame her for not understanding this, but he did find it annoying, especially when every stewardess of every flight he'd taken, whether it be asari, human, salarian, turian, whatever, seemed to react the same way. _I'm surrounded by idiots._ He thought, before exiting the ship. The sight of the city caught his eye for a second; he'd heard stories from several human mercs he'd worked with over the years, most of the against his will, about this city. "The biggest city on Earth, except for New York, maybe", he'd heard one time from a particularly talkative merc. The skyline was typical of most cities he'd gone too, except for the ugly tower of stone that stuck out like a "sore thumb", he'd heard that expression too, he didn't understand it, not that he understood anything humans said most of the time.

He didn't have time to admire the sights, however, as he had a job to do. Since his exile from his clan, he'd gone the route most krogan took after the genophage hit, he became a merc for hire. He took any job he could find, many that not even other krogan would take, mostly to look for a challenge to take his mind off of his disgrace or perhaps even find as honorable a death as he could find. This was just another job to him, albeit a boring one in his eyes. He'd been hired to assassinate a human loan shark, Lucas Chamberlain, who apparently crossed the wrong people. He was pretty low on the criminal food chain, but Tarok was getting paid a large amount to kill him, so he could care less if he was a varren or pyjak.

Tarok hailed a cab and ordered it to take him to where he found out Chamberlain had taken up temporary residence, the Buckingham Terrace Hotel. Apparently, Chamberlain used some of his ill-gotten credits to rent out the last few floors of Hotel for a huge party he was throwing. The scum hired blue suns for protection, though according to Tarok's source, he specifically ordered only human mercs, showing that he was clearly a xenophobe, that'd make things difficult. From what Tarok had heard, aliens weren't too uncommon on Earth, but still, a krogan was sure to stick out among a crowd of predominantly human party goers and guards. It wasn't going to be too hard for Tarok, all he'd have to do is storm in, guns blazing, catching the guards off guard and killing Chamberlain before reinforcements could get there.

As the cab sped through the London skyway, Tarok took a moment to look out at a strange sight that caught his eye. A large metal wheel not too far away from the stone tower he had noticed earlier. It looked about as old as the tower itself, yet still kept in good condition. It clearly showed ancient design, being a simple network of metal tubes and beams, supported by a stand that seemed to double as an engine system to spin the wheel around. He could see some humans sitting in cars on the wheel, apparently enjoying being slowly risen and lowered on the wheel. Tarok could only shake his head at them, how humans could enjoy simply being raised and lowered on a giant metal wheel escaped him.

The cab console beeped, signally to Tarok that he was about to arrive at the hotel. He glanced out the front windshield, seeing the words "Buckingham Terrace" displayed on a giant screen near the center of the very tall structure. Tarok raised an eyebrow in curiosity. _What the hell's a "Buckingham"? Some kind of animal? _He quickly shook his head of the question, not wanting it to irritate him and also not wanting to look like an idiotic tourist by asking someone. The cab slowly descended towards the landing pad halfway up the building. Tarok exited the cab and took his metal case from the trunk of the car. As he entered the hotel, he could already see several humans staring at him from afar. He paid them no mind and made his way to the check in desk. He dreaded this part.

Approaching the desk, he braced himself for one the most irritating things in the galaxy, a talkative human. He might intimidate the human enough to keep him as quiet as possible, but he was guessing not. He wasn't that lucky. Tarok put his case down next to him and stared at the human behind the counter. Much like the stewardess on the transport ship, he forced a polite smile even though he was clearly intimidated. "Uh, checking in sir?" _No genius, I've just been walking around the hotel for a week without a single one of you humans noticing me. Idiot. _

"Yeah."

"Very well, name please."

"Korta" Having gained a reputation as a merc in the Terminus Systems, Tarok didn't want to take chances on anyone recognizing his name.

The desk clerk looked at him as if expecting more. "Korta...?"

"Just Korta. Is there a problem?" Tarok was growing more irritated by the second, and made no effort to hide it.

"Oh, um, no sir. I just...thought maybe you had another...I'll just check the computer here." The clerk tapped frantically on the holographic keyboard. "Ah, there we are Mr. Korta. Your room is number 2567. Here's your keycard for the room. Will you need any assist-"

"No." Tarok grabbed the card from the desk, picked up his case and walked away, again hearing a sigh of relief as he left.

After spending a couple of minutes trying to find his room, he finally managed to locate it. He entered the room, placing his case on the table in front of the window and opening it, revealing his pistol, the same pistol he'd carried for the last 200 years. Though considered obsolete by most standards, Tarok considered this pistol as the most dangerous in the galaxy. He'd carried this pistol into some of his most proud and cherished memories and battles. Thinking of them brought him a sense of pride for a second, only to be then overshadowed by the memories attached to the orange scar now permanently a part of his blue crest. He closed the case, not needing the pistol until the party Chamberlain would hold the next day; trying to get to him beforehand would be nearly impossible until the masses of VIPs arrived to distract his guards.

Tarok stared out the window of his room, gazing at the numerous skyscrapers and buildings, including the wheel from earlier. He had to admit, he understood how humans could be so awestruck with this city, it's scale was massive, but he was unimpressed. All he wanted was to kill his target and move on to the next job, the next distraction. He emitted a low growl, contemplating to himself. _Another job to help a broken warrior forget his past days of glory and current days of shame. Perfect. However, something...doesn't feel right. My gut tells me that this job is gonna go horribly wrong. And not surprising...ha, I don't care._

Another part down. I hope you guys are enjoying this so far, if not, then there's absolutely nothing I can do about it. ;) Also, don't be afraid to give me a review. However, if you have criticism, please, keep it constructive. Thanks.


	3. Prologue 3: The Broken Soldier

Prologue Part 3

The Broken Soldier

"Yo Nep, wake up. NEP!" The shouting succeeded in waking Nepturus from his much needed nap. Looking up, the turian engineer instantly recognized his co-worker, Samantha, an attractive, redheaded human female with a magnificent gift for picking the best time to irritate him.

Rubbing his eyes, he voiced his chagrin, "Why? Why can't I find ONE good spot to grab some Zs between maintenance shifts where people can't find me?"

Samantha simply giggled at his dilemma, "Aw, you poor baby. Maybe if you'd been napping under your blankey I wouldn't have been able to wake you, it would've been too cute."

Nepturus shook his head at his friend's joke, either as an acknowledgment of her comedic talent or an attempt to erase the image of him sleeping with a "blankey" from his mind. Nepturus rubbed his eyes in an attempt to alleviate their heaviness and asked, "What is it this time? One of those damn soda machines break down again?"

Samantha nodded her head and said, "Yeah, but that's not why I woke you up."

This piqued his interest, maybe he'd finally have something challenging to do for once. "Oh really, you're not teasing me are you? Because if I have to repair another one of those damn antiques I'm going to alter it to shoot cans at Marcus." Marcus was the hotel manager, and the bane of Nepturus' existence. Ever since he'd found a job at the hotel, Marcus had made it his life's work to make Nepturus miserable, giving him horrible assignments and paying him as little as legally possible. All because Marcus' father lost his leg in the First Contact War.

Samantha laughed at the idea, "I would PAY to see that, finally put that xenophobic asshole in his place...he'd fire you after that, but it'd be totally worth it." A single chuckle escaped Nepturus' mouth, though only for a second, as he was still too tired to joke around too much. Samantha knew Nepturus well, and instantly knew what was wrong. "You had the nightmare again last night, didn't you?"Nepturus simply nodded. That damned nightmare had plagued him for the last two and a half years, he couldn't get rid of it no matter how hard he tried. He'd lost complete nights of sleep because of it. Samantha sat next to her friend and put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Nep, I wish there was more I could do to help."

Nepturus glanced towards her, smiling as he did. "So do I...well, enough about that, what's this glorious change of pace you've come to me with?" Samantha understood what that meant, Nepturus didn't want to discuss it anymore, so she dropped the topic and answered his question.

"Well, as you know, there's a big party going down tomorrow. That Chamberlain guy who's running the whole thing wants someone to set up the lighting and sound system for the bands he has coming in. Sounds like fun, right?"

Nepturus had to admit, it wasn't designing and building a battle cruiser or heavy cannon, but it was better than fixing some ancient drink dispenser any day of the week. "Yeah, we'll give them a light show so good it'll blind them and a sound system that'll blow them away. What do ya say, partner?" Samantha smiled and raised her hand for a high five, or a "high three" as Nepturus called it, a running joke he'd had since they'd started working together. The high three completed, they entered the nearest elevator to head to the top floor to begin the preparations, all the while, Nepturus couldn't help but think about his life, and how it had gone downhill since the day he'd never forget, no matter how hard he tried.

Nepturus was born and raised on Aprodia, a relatively new colony out near the edge of Terminus space. Like all turians, he joined the military at 15 years old and quickly took a liking to mechanical engineering, especially the inner workings of warships and heavy cruisers. Though he hadn't been involved in many huge battles, he did cut his teeth in several small skirmishes with batarian raiders, as well as minor bands of pirates, earning him several commendations for his bravery in battle and quick engineering fixes that turned the tide of several battles. He came so highly recommended that he was even transferred to the Destiny Ascension, the largest ship in the Citadel fleet and the most high caliber placement a soldier could ask for. Made chief engineer, he held the position for nearly a year, and it seemed that his career would only go up from there. That was until 2183, and the day that ruined him in more ways than one.

2183, The Citadel

Nepturus was on shore leave from the Destiny Ascension, a much needed break from the mundane, day-to-day operations aboard the massive vessel. It astounded him how the largest and most powerful ship in the fleet could be the most boring assignment at times. Now, however, all he cared about was enjoying his ramen, an Earth delicacy that he couldn't get enough of. While at the ramen stand, he heard the familiar beep of his omni-tool, signaling that he had received a message. _Oh crap._ He cursed in his head, he only received messages when someone wanted work done. He was going to ignore it, but he decided to do the wise thing and check anyway, it could have been an emergency. Checking him omni-tool, he saw that the message was from a friend of his, Daktaria, from the _Brutazar_, one of the largest turian cruisers in the fleet. He smiled, he'd had an interest in her since he first met her at boot camp. He eagerly tapped a few keys on his omni-tool to call her.

_Call to _Daktaria Veloren _engaged..._

_Call accepted. Establishing connection..._

_Connection established._

_Daktaria Veloren (DV): Hello?_

_Nepturus Vitan (NV): Hey 'Taria, I got your message._

_DV: Nepturus, I'm glad you called. I need your help with something._

_NV: Really? What with?_

_DV: I'm having a problem with some of the calibration modules here. I've tried every trick I know and I'm out of ideas. Think you could lend me a hand._

_NV: Well, I AM on shore leave right now, so I guess the captain won't mind if I stop off at the Brutazar to help you._

_DV: Are you sure? If you're trying to relax I'm sure I could find someone else._

_NV: It's no trouble, it shouldn't take too long to fix. I'll be there in about 20 minutes._

_DV: Thanks Nep, you're the best. See you then._

_NV: Looking forward to it._

_Call terminated._

_ YES!_ Nepturus shouted for joy inside his head, this was his chance to finally get closer to her. He'd heard rumors that Daktaria may be transferred to the Destiny Ascension, so he wanted to see if he could get a head start on spending some time with her and develop their relationship. Feeling happy with himself, Nepturus finished the last of his ramen, payed his tab and made his way to the shuttle bay. Along the way, he clicked an old tune he'd heard an Alliance marine whistle once called "Singin' in the Rain". It seemed appropriate at the time. As he boarded the shuttle for the _Brutazar_, he thought to himself, _Daktaria, prepare to be swept off your feet._

Aboard the _Brutazar_

Nepturus arrived on the ship right on schedule and was greeted by Daktaria, the most beautiful smile, or turian equilivant thereof, on her face. On the way to the main batteries, Daktaria explained to Nepturus the span of the problem while all he could do is stare at her like a man possessed. He had never seen a more beautiful turian female in all his life, and he knew that this was his chance to make a real impression on her, to take their relationship to the next level. Then, he walked into a wall. "OW!" "Are you alright Nep?"

Nepturus cursed himself under his breath. _Stupid, stupid, stupid! _"Yeah yeah, I'm fine, you know me, skull like titanium." She laughed at his goofiness, a good sign that he'd recovered from his clumsy display. They finally made it to the engineering bay and Daktaria showed him the console that was malfuctioning. He ran a few basic diagnostics to attempt to centralize the source of the problem. When all he got were error messages, he concluded it had to be a wiring problem inside the console. "This may take longer than I thought, it looks like a wiring issue." He said as he switched a wiring schematic on his omni-tool.

"I kind of thought as much, but I'm mainly a programming expert, all the hardware is usually Maliken's department, but he got called away on a family emergency, so I appreciate the help." Daktaria answered, smiling as usual.

Nepturus took the opportunity to flirt a little. "It's the least I could do...for a beautiful lady." Nepturus then became nervous when there was no response, thinking the worst. _Oh crap, I bet I just embarrassed the hell out of myself. What was I thinking? "For a beautiful lady"? How stupid is that?_ His panic was interrupted by a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Daktaria staring at him, obviously aware of his panic, and calmed him with a single gesture, a wink. _What do humans call it, "cloud nine"? Whatever it is, I'm on it._

Daktaria finally spoke. "If I'd known you felt the same way, I would've invited you here for more than just a business call."

Nepturus was speachless. "I—uh, well I...didn't know you...heh." They just stood there and stared at each other for a minute, then, almost unconsciously, they slowly inched closer to one another. They came within inches of each other's faces when...it happened.

_**ATTENTION ALL HANDS**_

_**WE HAVE ENEMY VESSELS APPROACHING THE CITADEL**_

_**MANY ARE CONFIRMED TO BE GETH**_

_**REPORT TO BATTLE STATIONS IMMEDIATELY**_

Nepturus and Daktaria looked at each other, knowing their moment would have to wait, they had jobs to do. The two immediately sprung to their feet and ran for the main batteries where Daktaria was stationed and near the shuttle bay, where Nepturus hoped to get to the Destiny Ascension. Suddenly, the ship rocked from what felt like a shockwave. _What the hell is going on?_ Was all Nepturus could think at the moment. It wasn't until they reached a window that they saw what was going on. A huge fleet of geth ships, numbering possibly a hundred strong, careening towards them while firing everything they had at the Citadel fleet. The most disturbing site was an enormous ship leading the charge, shaped like something Nepturus had once seen a human eating called a "squid". It was on a direct collision course with the Citadel.

Shaking themselves of their shock, they made their way to the main gun batteries, where Daktaria took her position at the main targeting hub along with several other deck hands. Nepturus yelled over the chaotic chatter around him, "I'm heading for the shuttles, I've gotta get back to the _Ascension_!"

Daktaria nodded. "They'll be evacuating the Council to it, they're gonna need you there. Good luck!" But before he could turn to leave for the shuttles, a sight from the viewing screen stopped him. The enormous enemy ship had collided with one of the heavy turian cruisers, brushing it aside like an insect and destroying it instantly. The explosion launched the debris straight into the main battery, tearing a large hole in the hull of the ship where they were standing. The immediate vacuum created by the decompression sucked most of the equipment and some of the deck hands out almost immediately while Nepturus and Daktaria clung to two separate control consoles for dear life.

Nepturus could barely see from the air being sucked past his eyes, but he could faintly make out Daktaria attempting to reach for him. He immediately stuck out his hand as much as he could while still gripping the console tightly, but it wasn't enough. He heard what sounded like metal being bent and warped, only to discovery it was coming from the smaller and much weaker console Daktaria was clinging to. Nepturus tried as hard as he could and extended his hand out even further, nearly popping his arm out of the socket. Little by little, their hands came slightly closer, but they just couldn't reach. Just as the emergency hatch began closing off the hull breach, the console Daktaria was clinging to finally buckled and, before Nepturus' eyes, sent Daktaria flying out of the hull breach just as the emergency hatch closed, effectively stopping the vacuum and re-pressurizing the room. Nepturus' eyes never left the spot where Daktaria had been, not even blinking for a second. He couldn't process what had just happened, the one turian he'd been in love with for years, the woman he'd finally managed to show his feelings for and have them reciprocated...was gone. He was powerless to stop it, and she was gone.

Finally, he couldn't handle it anymore, and passed out from the stress of clinging for dear life, the depressurization of the room...and heartbreak.

He later woke up in a hospital bed on an Alliance ship, being tended to by a human woman who told him that he was the only survivor from that part of the ship and that he was "lucky to be alive". He found that ironic, as he'd never felt so unlucky in his life. While in the infirmary, he watched the news talk about how the Citadel fleet, with the assistance of the Alliance Navy, managed to destroy the massive ship that had attacked the Citadel. He had mixed emotions at that point, he was happy that they managed to take that monstrosity down, but he was also angry that it wasn't him that fired the killing shot. He was given a few weeks off to help recover from the traumatic event and was then right back at work. His first time back on the _Destiny Ascension_ bitter sweet at best. He could see the bits of the ship that were damaged during the attack and were still under repair, knowing he had a lot of work ahead of him to help repair the ship. However, something wasn't right with him.

Upon entering the engineering bay, he began trying to assess the extent of the damage to the ship from one of the consoles, only to be struck by a violent memory flash of him hanging onto the console on board the _Brutazar_. He recoiled from the console in shock, not fully knowing what was wrong, but chalking it up to residual stress. However, when he tried again to touch the console, his hand began to shake violently and he began having more memory flashes, this time of Daktaria's face, staring at him in horror as she was sucked out of the hull breach. As hard as he tried, Nepturus couldn't get the image out of his head, he began to shake violently, unable to control himself, and finally collapsed on the floor, slipping into unconsciousness.

"_...happened to him?"_

"_I don't kn-...just found him here. He look...scared out of his..."_

"_I should've seen this...not well...to the infirmary."_

"_Yes sir. Ok...gently, don't want to hurt..."_

Nepturus again awoke in an infirmary, this time being studied closely by the ship's counselor, who calmly asked him what happened to cause his episode. "I...don't know, one minute I'm working on the diagnostics and...I start getting these flashes. Memories." Upon further questioning, the counselor determined that he was suffering from a rather severe case of Post-Traumatic Stress, which was causing uncontrollable bouts of panic and repression into memories of the attack on the Citadel. She concluded that he needed to be taken off of active duty aboard the _Ascension _for a while, and he was given a few more weeks to relax and seek further counseling. Despite these efforts, when he returned at the end of the weeks off, he nearly had another panic attack. Images of Daktaria's last expression as she was sucked to her death plagued him even in his dreams, but it was far worse while he was on a military vessel of any kind. That's when he had to make a hard decision.

Having turned 30 a few weeks before the attack, Nepturus was eligible for an honorable discharge, this would mean that he could never rejoin the military and would be resigned to a civilian life from then on. He went to his superiors a couple of days after trying for the final time to stay aboard one of the turian military vessels, only to once again nearly succumb to a panic attack, and told them of his decision. After being discharged, he searched for a job where his talents could be useful and eventually stumbled upon the position of chief mechanical engineer for the state of the art Buckingham Terrace hotel on Earth. It wasn't a luxurious position, but it had decent pay and allowed him to continue his passion for engineering. Still, even though he hadn't stepped on a military vessel since, he still had the dream from time to time, the dream where he was once again helpless to save Daktoria, the dream where he survived...when he felt she should have instead.

**DING**

Nepturus was once again shaken back into reality by the sound of the elevator arriving at the top floor of the hotel. He and Samantha exited the elevator and did a quick survey of the large ball room they had to work with. Within the span of 24 hours, they had to hook up a sound and lighting system to accommodate nearly 12 bands and around 250 guests. Samantha broke the contemplative silence. "Well partner, ready to show this room who's boss?"

Nepturus shook his head and said, "Better get started before either Marcus or Chamberlain see fit to come up here and nag us to death." Samantha chuckled and replied, "Agreed, let's get to work." and began setting up ladders to help put up support beams for the lighting.

Before joining her, Nepturus sighed to himself. _Face it Nep, for the rest of your life, this is as exciting as it's gonna get._


	4. Prologue 4: The Aspiring Artist

Prologue Part 4

The Aspiring Artist

_If the pilgrimage is supposed allow me to experience a different culture entirely, then why do I not feel any different than when I was cooped up on the Ictomy? _This was all Alaia 'Koran nar Ictomy could think while trying to gently nudge her way through a dense crowd of travelers coming and going throughout the London Spaceport. She truly felt as though she were back on the Flotilla, squeezed in amongst a group of people in a tiny claustrophobic ship. Luckily for her, she saw a relatively clear area of the spaceport where she could get some breathing room. _Finally, just a little bit further._ She finally managed to break free of the crowd and enter the more open area, breathing a sigh of relief and enjoying her new found ability to stretch a bit.

Alaia had only left the Flotilla to begin her pilgrimage a mere 4 days ago, in which time she wasted all the money she was allowed to start off her journey just trying to get here, to Earth. It went against conventional pilgrimage wisdom, but in her mind it was worth every credit. This was going to be the place where she could finally realize her full potential and follow her dream of becoming a galaxy renowned artist. All she had to do was make it to the Buckingham Terrace hotel to meet a the famous human artist, Angelo Lore. She had been an admirer of his since she first became interested in art back on the Flotilla, much to her father's chagrin. She knew that Lore was staying at the hotel and would be attending a big party that was going to be held there, so all she had to do was find a way into the party and talk to him, though how she was going to do it she still had no idea.

"Hey you! Hold it!" The shouting startled Alaia out of her contemplation and back to reality as two human policemen approached her. They both seemed to have a suspecting look on their faces, ass if she'd done something wrong.

She kept her composure and asked, "I'm sorry, is there a problem?"

One of the policemen approached her, "Yea, there's a problem. Several people have reported stolen items today, ranging from credits all the way up to gold encrusted watches. You know anything about this?"

She was puzzled at first, then she began to realize what they were getting at. _You've got to be kidding me. I know they told me that I might be suspected of being a thief, but I JUST GOT OFF THE DAMN SHIP! At least give me a chance to get my bearings before you falsely accuse me, you bosh'tets!_

"No, I don't." She replied politely.

The policemen looked down at her and one said, "Really? You hear that Douglas? She says she doesn't know anything. Don't you think that's kind of strange? I mean, the same day a quarian shows up in our town, several people begin to claim things of theirs have been stolen. Quite the coincidence." His partner nodded and began circling around her, as if cutting off her "escape". Alaia was seething at this point. _Keelah, I won't to castrate this idiot so badly. _Knowing that it would be a bad idea to get in trouble with the law, she decided to use the law against them.

"Excuse me sir, but do you have any evidence that I'm the one who stole those things? Because if you don't, I have nothing more to say to you."

She could tell this got under the officer's skin. "Oh, smartin' off huh? How about I run you in for disturbing the peace?"

_Ok, now he's grasping. I'm done with this idiot. _"How about you get out of my face and go chase a real criminal, like the guy who made you pay for that awful haircut of yours."

That did it. "Alright, that's it! Douglas, 'cuff her!" Before Douglas could grab her, Alaia expertly slid underneath the other officer's legs and was running away at full sprint, the officers in full pursuit. At first, Alaia was cut off by a dense group of people, but saw an opening a few feet away and used it to run into the crowd, the officers not far behind. Breaking through the crowd, she found herself almost at the exit doors, only to be blocked off by a row of security guards. She turned around to face the xenophobic cop laughing at her.

"Not so smart now are you, helmet head? Now be a good little germaphobe and surrender before I sneeze on you and cause you to vomit all over that sexy red get up of yours." This incited a laugh from his partner, who then proceeded to approach Alaia with handcuffs. Alaia wasn't just angry at this point, she was boiling. Thinking fast, she pulled a small sphere from one of the many hidden pockets of her suit and threw it to the ground, creating a large flash that blinded the officers. Before using the opportunity to exit, Alaia decided to seek gratification. She sauntered over the flailing officer and swiftly and precisely kicked him in the family jewels, causing him to fall to the ground in pain. _There, I made you a krogan. Bosh'tet._ She then used the opportunity to sneak out the front door. She quickly hailed a cab, telling it to go to the Buckingham Terrace hotel, and sped off towards the city.

It was at this point that Alaia became slightly worried about her choice of actions back at the spaceport. Even the policemen was being an ass, he was still an officer of the law, so what she did to him was assaulting a police officer, which would not go over well if she was ever caught. She decided to just stick to what she was trained to do in situations like this, keep a low profile. Starting to relax a bit, she took the opportunity to do a little sight seeing while the cab took her to the hotel. She was astounded at the amount of open space these people had, having spent her whole life prior on cramped and often overpopulated vessels. The sheer size of some of the buildings was astounding, but one building in particular caught her eye, a strange tower made of stone with a large circle on the front with arrows on it. Activating her omni-tool, she made a search on the extranet for "london tower stone" and several pictures of the tower popped up along with a name, Big Ben. She spent a portion of the trip reading about the tower, which turned out to be a way that humans used to keep time, with this incredibly large clock tower that could be seen anywhere in London.

She was fascinated by it's design. Though it definitely showed it's age, 327 years old according to the extranet, it still had a beauty and grace to it that time only seemed to make more charming. The way the tower seemed to be ridged along the sides gave it a somewhat geometric feel, giving it order, while it's large clock face and colored spire gave it a sense of individuality among the other, more modern buildings, as if time itself couldn't change it. Her artistic mind was inspired by this point, she wanted to paint the tower and bring it back to the Flotilla once she finished her pilgrimage, to share it with her friends and family...well, some of her family. She could already think of one person who wouldn't approve of such a "waste of time": her father, Haal 'Koran vas Ictomy, the captain of the Ictomy. A stern, no-nonsense man, her father was a strictly "do only what needs to be done and focus only on what's important" kind of person. She was still hurt by the way they parted ways back on the Ictomy just a few days earlier.

5 days ago, Migrant Fleet, the Ictomy

"Mom, please stop crying." Alaia said as her mother, Palana 'Koran, held her daughter and cried, proud that her pilgrimage was upon her but also scared for her, as any mother would be.

"I'm sorry my angel, it's just...it seems like it was only yesterday that we had you in the bubble. Now here you are, about to face the galaxy on your pilgrimage." Alaia had been expecting this for some time now, before now, her mother had shown an incredible stiff upper lip about her upcoming pilgrimage, but she knew that it wouldn't last forever and that she'd unleash a tear geyser at her at some point, she was right.

"Mom, you don't have to worry, I'll be fine." Alaia reassured her mother.

"I know, but I'm your mother and I have a right to fret about you. You are my everything."

_Oh boy, here she goes with the overly dramatic stuff. Mom, I love you, but this poetic language is starting to weird me out._ Alaia thought to herself. "Thanks Mom, I'm glad someone cares that I'm going."

This statement made Palana give her daughter a serious look. "Alaia 'Koran, you know your father loves you, he cares more about you than you think. When he's stern with you, it's only because he wants what's best for you. You have to believe that."

_No I don't. _Alaia replied in her head, not wanting to upset her mother further. She had to admit, she did love her father, she just wasn't sure if he loved her the same way. Did he love her for who she was, or did he love her because he wanted a perfect legacy to carry on for him? She wished she knew.

As if on queue, Alaia's father entered their quarters just as she finished that thought. For a quarian, her father was imposing, standing several inches taller than the average quarian and having a deep, refined voice; the product of years of barking orders and motivational talks. His suit was made up of black, white, and gray tones, completely devoid of color, something Alaia made known on many occasions as one of her pet peeves. Whenever she suggested he dye his suit a more colorful shade he would say, "What would be the point? It serves no purpose and is a waste of time to worry about such trivial things."

"Alaia, my daughter, I hope you realize just how important your upcoming journey is. It will be a measure of how much you can contribute to the fleet, more specifically to any prospective future captains you may wish to serve under, as well as how adaptable you are to any and all situations."

_That, and it'll give me a chance to find something to paint besides ships and other quarians. OH, I almost forgot._ "Mom, Dad, since I'm starting my pilgrimage tomorrow, I wanted to give you something to say thanks for putting up with me all these years." Alaia said with glee in her voice, as well as a bit of a nervous pitch. Her parents were immediately intrigued by this and turned to face their daughter, who was now pulling a large, rectangular object covered in a white sheet out of her room and into the main living hall. After making sure it stood upright, Alaia stood in front of it and grabbed onto the sheet with both hands. "I give you...the Ictomy!" With that, she pulled away the sheet to reveal a large, 5" by 3" painting of the Ictomy, the ship she had lived on her whole life. The painting was very good quality, showing careful attention to detail as well as a feel of surrealism as it was juxtaposed in front of a nebula in the background.

Her mother teared up at the sight of the painting, "Oh angel, it's beautiful. You have a true gift. We'll treasure it always."

Alaia's father had another reaction, one not so approving. "What is this?"

Alaia's smile slowly faded. "What? It...it's the Ictomy. See? There's the name on the side-"

"I know that, I meant why did you do this?"

Now Alaia was confused, did he not like it? "I...I don't understand Dad."

"Then allow me to make you understand. You are about to take the most important journey of your young life: the pilgrimage. You will be taking this journey, facing many dangers along the way, to show the fleet that you are capable of contributing positively to it. You are already gifted in electronics, but you should be spending your time honing other, more important skills, such as survival, how to defend yourself, or perhaps studying AI programming so you may help to rid our home world of the geth. Instead, you waste your time, as well as the fleets time with colored paste on a piece of cloth? You should be preparing for the pilgrimage, not spending hours painting a ship you could just as easily and more quickly take a photo of."

_...I don't believe this. How could he... _Alaia was speechless, she had expected her father to, at the very least, point out that he failed to understand why she liked painting, but to go so far as to say she was wasting everyone's time and to call her hard work "colored paste on a piece of cloth" was just...too much. "...How could you? I painted this for you. I spent hours making sure this was just right for YOU. And all you can say is that I wasted my time?" "Alaia, calm down." "WHY SHOULD I? Nothing ever satisfies you, does it? I get an A on a test in school, you say I should've gotten an A+, I fix an air filter in just over a minute and you say I should've done it in under a minute. When will I ever be good enough for you dad? Huh? WHEN?"

At this point, Alaia's father was growing impatient. "Alaia, do not raise your voice to me. Your foolish obsession with art is pointless and will contribute nothing to this fleet."

"I DON'T CARE! I love painting, it makes me feel like I can create anything and bring it to life. It makes me feel special, why can't you understand that?" "ENOUGH! Your pilgrimage begins tomorrow, I suggest you put these foolish dreams behind you and prepare yourself. Is that clear?" Alaia said nothing, she just stood there, her face burning with rage. "Is. That. Clear?"

"...yes...SIR." With that, Alaia walked out of the room and into her own, the door closing automatic behind her.

Alaia's mother stood there, tearing up at the argument that just took place. Haal took notice of this and went to comfort her. "Palana, you know I don't wish to hurt her feelings, but she has to learn that this obsession of hers will gain her nothing but a lot of wasted time and useless paintings. Some day, she will thank me for this." Palana looked away from her husband and walked to their daughter's room, locking the door behind her. Haal was pained to see his family this way, but he knew that this is what was best for his daughter, and knew that, in the future, she will thank him for being honest.

Palana entered her daughter's room to find her sitting on the side of her bed, looking at a painting, most likely one of hers. As she approached her, she saw that the painting was one she had painted of her family, including her father. She seemed as though she was about to tear the painting to shreds in anger, so she grabbed her hands before she could. "A piece of art this precious deserves better than that."

Alaia at first resisted her mother's grasp, but soon let go of the painting and slumped over, her hands covering her mask. "Why can't he understand? I made that painting for him, yet he didn't care. All he wants is a trophy daughter, that's all there is to it."

Palana would have none of that. "Angel, do not even think that. I know you find this hard to believe, but you're father loves you more than anything else in this galaxy. He's just...scared. He's scared that you'll wind up wasting your life on something pointless. But he just...doesn't understand your passion." Though Palana made a point, Alaia was barely listening, her father's words still ringing her mind.

**Pointless**

**Waste of time**

**Obsession**

**Foolish**

"Mom, thanks for trying to cheer me up, but...I just want to be alone right now if you don't mind." Palana didn't like it, but she knew her daughter knew what she wanted, so she respected her wishes and turned to leave.

Before exiting the room, she turned back to her daughter and said, "I know you don't believe this now, but I believe your father will come around one day, and when he does, he'll apologize for what he's said and be the proudest father in the galaxy, even more so than he is now. I promise." She then opened the door and left her daughter to herself.

Alaia sat there in silence, thinking of nothing but her father's words. _He thinks my art is pointless...that it's all a waste of time. Well, y'know what? I'll show him, I'm gonna make a name for myself out there during my pilgrimage, then he'll be sorry he ever turned down my talent. Then we'll see who's a 'waste of time'._

The next day, 1:35 AM

Alaia wrote the note to her mother with care, assuring her that she had to leave on her pilgrimage early, that she'd found an opportunity she couldn't afford to waste any time on, that she loved her and that she promised she would return safely. In reality, Alaia wanted to leave early to spite her father, whom she wanted to prove to be wrong in every way about her passion for art. Finishing the note, she uploaded it to her mother's omni-tool, making sure to program it to not notify her of the message until she was already gone. With that, she packed everything she thought she would need and left her family's quarters, sneaking into the hangar bay to temporarily commandeer one of the shuttles to get to a nearby planet to get her to Earth, where she'd just learned Angelo Lore would be. Being careful of the Migrant Fleet Marines guarding the shuttles, she hacked into the ship's silent alarm system to distract the guards by making them think there was a severe malfunction in the ship's air purifiers, forcing them to leave their posts to investigate. She used the opportunity to sneak into the hangar and commandeer a shuttle, next hacking the hangar door controls and exiting the ship she'd called home her entire life. As she set course for the nearby colonized planet, she took one last glance at the Ictomy and a realization hit her. Her pilgrimage had begun.

Present Day

The console on the panel of the cab beeped, indicating it had reached Alaia's destination. Alaia had to prepare herself at this point, as she didn't have nearly enough money left to afford a room at the hotel, she would have to find someplace to hide until she could get to the party tomorrow, that meant she'd have to improvise. Upon landing, she was careful not to draw too much attention to herself as she exited the cab, which proved difficult, as quarians were a rare sight on Earth. She casually walked up to the entrance and immediately noticed the desk clerks at both sides, in clear view of the elevators. If she wanted upstairs, she'd have to distract the clerks, and she knew just how to do it. Activating her omni-tool, she punched in a few commands and almost instantly, the clerks got hundreds of error messages on their screens. Confused, they attempted to close the error messages, but to no avail. About a minute later, a mob of guests stormed the clerk's desks demanding they fix their keycards.

"_What kind of hotel are you runnin' here? Let me in my room!"_

"_My kids are trapped in there, what if they starve to death?"_

"_What is this, some kind of extortion racket?"_

"Everyone please, one at a time, we'll have this all sorted out in a second!" During the chaos, Alaia, used the crowd for cover as she headed for the elevator. Once she was inside, she punched in another command on her omni-tool and, to all the guest's confusion and relief, their keycards became functional again. The clerks looked even more puzzled. "Uhh, see? I told you we'd have it all sorted out. No problem." Alaia rode the elevator up to the 35th floor, feeling any higher would put her too close to Chamberlain's guards. She did some research on the host of the party Lore would be attending, and felt it'd be within her best interests if she stayed away from the upper floors just to be safe until she could figure out where Lore was, then find some way to get him alone so they could talk.

Once at the 35th floor, Alaia found the perfect hiding spot, a maintenance room. She snuck inside and found a ventilation shaft a few feet off the ground, just big enough for her to fit in. Carefully removing the lid, she slipped herself inside the vent and closed the lid back again. The vent was dark enough to where no one would be able to see her, so she felt safe in there. Seeing as it was already 10:00 PM in London by the time she got there, she figured now to be as good a time as any to get some much needed sleep. She set her omni-tool to give her a wake up call inside her helmet at 9:00AM, a couple of hours before the party would start, so as to give her some time to find a path into the party to find Lore. She still wasn't sure how she was going to do it, but she knew she had to, to prove to both herself and her father that she could make something out of her passion for art.

As she slowly drifted to sleep, she began to contemplate to herself. _Well, this is it. Tomorrow will be the most important day of my life, I can't screw it up. One way or another, my life is going to change tomorrow, I'm sure of it._

Finally, all the prologue pages are done, now the real fun begins. Again, I hope you guys are enjoying the story and I'd really like to hear your reactions and feedback, so please review.


	5. Chapter 1: Just Another Day

Chapter 1: Just Another Day

Mike's Room, 30th Floor, 7:42 AM

**BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP**

"ALRIGHT, shut up already, I'm up!" Mike groaned at his bedside alarm clock, frantically tapping the controls on the holographic display to shut off the torturous sound. Having silenced the clock, he dropped his head back on the pillow like a rock, a normal practice for those who aren't considered "morning people". _My first day on vacation and it already feels like I'm just getting up to go to work. Thanks Dad._ Pulling his head up from the pillow, he rubbed his eyes to alleviate his blurry vision, reading the time on the holographic clock: 7:42 AM. Groaning, Mike slowly drug his legs out from under the covers and planted them on the floor. He stretched his arms and legs out and got up to head to the bathroom for a shower. On the way, he switched on the holoscreen for some ambient sound, not really caring what channel was on.

Once in the bathroom, he started the shower on the far end of the room to clean himself up, all the while listening to the holoscreen in the next room. All he could make out were random slapstick noises and exaggerated voices, obviously a sign he had turned to some old cartoon.

_Rabbit season!_

_Duck Season!_

_Rabbit Season!_

_Duck Season!_

_Rabbit Season!_

_Duck Season!_

"Quiet season." Mike half-joked under his breath as he turned the volume down. Normally, he loved watching these old Earth cartoons, but not so much just after he got out of bed. Jumping in the shower, he continued to listen as the cartoon seemed to end and the program switched to a morning talk show.

_Goooood morning all, this is Gerald Martin here along with my lovely partner in crime Darla Caine-_

_Hey all!_

_-and today we're discussing the event that's on the minds of every one in London, the luxurious and extravagant party_ _being held at the Buckingham Terrace hotel, hosted by one of the biggest entrepreneurs in the Alliance systems, Lucas Chamberlain!_

_That's right Ger, today, hundreds, if not over a thousand people are just outside the hotel as we speak making desperate attempts to get into the party, hoping to meet the many VIPs expected to attend. Among them being leading weapon mogul Charles Devlon, baseball star Amelia Bronson and famous artist Alfonso Lore._

_Wow! Quite the list of names Chamberlain's got going there, he must really want to impress with this shindig eh?_

_Indeed he is, my sources tell me he's pulled out all the stops, hiring several leading musicians and entertainers from all throughout Citadel space. He's even going as far as to rent out the top 4 floors of the Buckingham exclusively for his guests to have the utmost privacy._

_Not to mention the tons of guards I've heard he's hired Darla; it's as if the man expects the party to be invaded._

_Well Ger, there are many people hoping to get into this party. Unfortunately for them, the party is strictly invitation only, with no one being granted access without one._

_Eh, that's too bad Darla. Still, we'll be bringing you live coverage of the event and the celebrities that are sure to arrive. Now let's head to Malik with the weather-_

Mike switched to another channel as he stepped out of the shower, not being a big fan of early morning talk shows. Lucas Chamberlain; he'd heard the name several times in the past, but didn't pay it much mind; just another rich playboy flaunting his money to anyone who cared. Shaking his head, he continued to dry himself off and proceeded to get dressed. Just as he put on his shirt, he got a message alert on his omni-tool. He opened the message to see what looked like an invitation.

Mr. Mike Reynolds,

You have been cordially invited to attend the party being thrown by Mr. Lucas Chamberlain on the 50th floor of the Buckingham Terrace hotel. Contained within this message is the electronic access code you'll need to be allowed access. We hope you can find time to attend and also hope you enjoy the party if you do. Have a nice day.

Suki Mayasaki, personal Secretary to Mr. Lucas Chamberlain

Mike raised an eyebrow, _What the hell? Why am I being invited to the party? I've never even talked to the man, how does he know me? _These questions perplexed him, but, as he said, he'd never seen or interacted with the man, so why should he worry about him? Still, he couldn't help feeling that something was fishy about this. Then, he got another message, this time, an incoming call.

_Incoming call from _Lucas Chamberlain_._

"Oooookay, weird." Mike thought out loud, hesitant to answer. Shortly, however, he relented and answered the call.

_Call accepted. Establishing connection..._

_Connection established._

_Lucas Chamberlain (LC):Ah, Mr. Reynolds, I was hoping to catch you before you left the building. I hope I'm not intruding on something._

_Mike Reynolds (MR): Uh, no, not at all. ...I'm sorry, but uh, I've gotta ask-_

_LC: I know, I know, you must be wondering why I've invited you to the party and why I'm calling you just after you received an invitation. Am I correct?_

_MR: Well...yeah actually. No offense but it just seems kinda...odd._

_LC: I'm sure, that's why I wished to call you to clarify, so as to put to rest any suspicions on your part. You work for the archaeological group known as "Eses Ventures", correct?_

_MR: Yeah._

_LC: Well, I myself am deeply fascinated by some of the finds your group has made, including your recent discovery of a lost cache of ancient hanar religious artifacts on Kelanander._

_MR: Thanks, but I can't really take credit, I just head the security detail._

_LC: Oh I'm well aware of your contributions to the group, which is why I've invited you to the party. You see, I understand that, while you were on that expedition, you ran into some...resistance of sorts._

_MR: You mean the pirates that tried to steal the find. Yeah, you could call them 'resistance'._

_LC: Well I also understand that, if it hadn't been for you and your brilliant security team, that those foul criminals would have made off with those priceless treasures. Truly, you are a friend to culture my good man, which is why I've invited you to my party, to congratulate you on your resounding success and contributions to the world of ancient historical study._

_MR: Well, thanks, but you should really invite Narala and her team, they were the one's who found the cache. I just made sure the pirates didn't steal it._

_LC: I offered them the chance to attend, but unfortunately, Narala informed me that her team was too busy researching a lost salarian artifact. However, when I heard the man who fought off those pirates was at this very hotel, it was like a Godsend. It would be an honor if you attended. Can I expect you to be here?_

_MR: Um, well, sure I guess. I didn't really have anything else planned._

_LC: Excellent. Do make sure to come see me while you're here, a small group of friends and I would very much like to discuss some of your many adventures with your group over the years. Thank you and I look forward to meeting you. Goodbye._

_Call terminated._

_Huh, what do ya know? I never thought I'd have fans. Still, a party's a party, and I did promise Mom that I'd have fun on this trip, might as well try my hardest. It should be fun._

Lucas Chamberlain's Penthouse, 50th floor, 8:04 AM

Having terminated the call, Chamberlain chuckled in his throat. "Fool." The rich con artist looked out from his private quarters overlooking the large ball room being set up for his grand party. Chamberlain wore a fancy, expensive looking blue suit, tailored, most likely, by the finest tailors money could buy and designed by top fashion experts. He appeared to be a man who oozed culture and a sort of suave elegance, when behind that mask lay one of the dirtiest, most underhanded criminals in the galaxy. He grew a snide grin as he envisioned the many VIPs that would be attending his party, VIPs that would be instrumental to his upcoming campaign for the recently vacated position on the Alliance Council.

"Is he comin'?" Chamberlain's grin slowly faded as he forced himself to answer the 'peasant' behind him.

"Yes, he is. I suspected he might be suspicious, but I've taken care of that with my 'sincere gratitude' for his group's efforts. Rest assured, you will see your old friend at the party."

"Good, that asshole killed three of my best guys, including my own brother, and cost me a huge payday for all that junk those jellyfish made. I can't wait to tear him apart with my bear hands!" Jeremiah Roach, lower echelon pirate captain and overall scumbag, proclaimed too noisily for Chamberlain's liking. The criminal smelled to high heaven of pure filth and subtle traces of cheap alcohol, looking like he hadn't bathed in years and wearing armor that had been painted over with the most pathetic attempts at intimidating images Chamberlain had ever seen.

"Just make sure you remember our deal. Once you've settled your score, everything you 'find' from now on, I get 25% of."

"Yeah yeah righ- WAIT, 25%? We agreed on 15%!"

"No, you offered 15%, I'm telling you 25%. If you're not comfortable with that, I could easily just inform Mr. Reynolds of your presence..."

The pirate shook with fury, but relented quickly. "Alright alright, 25%, I just want that boy scout Reynolds' head. So, how's this gonna go down? He steps out the elevator and I gun 'em down?"

Chamberlain put his hand to his brow, this man was testing his patience with his neanderthal's mentality. "No, you idiot. I have a reputation to uphold, if you gun him down while he's in plain site, people will begin to ask questions; questions that I would rather not answer. No, once Reynolds enters the party, I will lure him into the room I've had prepared in the back. Once back there, Reynolds will be gassed with a special concoction of mine which will make it appear as though he was heavily intoxicated once the authorities find him huddled and broken to pieces inside a crashed vehicle. It'll appear to be an accident brought on by his own poor decisions, you'll have your precious vengeance and I'll finally have some peace and quiet."

"So wait, I don't even get to kill him myself? That wasn't part of our deal!"

Finally fed up with the filth in front of him, Chamberlain pulled out his custom sidearm and pointed it at Roach's face. "Listen to me, you pathetic waste of human life, I have decided to be a generous man and accept your meager contribution to my campaign, I have put up with your insufferable prattling for the past 2 days, and I have the pistol pointed at your head. If you test me any further, I will make it so that YOU are the one who has the accident, are we clear?"

Clearly terrified, the pirate surrendered quickly. "Y-y-yeah sure, w-w-whatever you say man. Just quit pointin' that thing at me...uh, please."

Satisfied, Chamberlain regained his composure, putting his sidearm back in his jacket. "Don't worry my uncultured friend, you will be rid of Reynolds, I can assure you of that. Now, if you don't mind, I have some big names to impress. You know the way out." Getting the message, Roach stepped quickly out of the room, leaving Chamberlain to gaze over the ball room that was nearing completion. _Everything's going exactly as planned. I'll gain many supporters with this bit of generosity and before you know it, I'll be occupying a seat on the Alliance Council, making way for many more business opportunities. Lucas, you are brilliant._

Maintenance Room, 35th floor, 9:00 AM

**BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP**

"HUH? Wha- OW! Dammit!" Alaia cursed after banging her head on the ceiling of the vent. Shaking herself awake, she shut off her incessant alarm and gazed at the time: 9:00 AM on the dot. OK_, I've got two hours until the party starts, that gives me some time to find a way to sneak in there without being noticed. I've just gotta- _Alaia's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the maintenance room door sliding open outside. _Oh crap. Of all the damn times..._ Making sure to duck back a little further into the vent to avoid being seen, Alaia looked out of the grate to see two people entering the room: A turian and a human woman. The two seemed to be talking about some show that was on the night prior.

"Are you crazy? Tabitha Hynes deserved to win last night, not that screeching owl of an asari, she couldn't sing worth shit.", the woman proclaimed.

The turian countered with, "I don't know Sam, I liked her. She knew how to put on a show."

The woman rolled her eyes, "Oh please, you just liked her because she was wearing that outfit that a prostitute would find exposing."

"...yeah, what's your point?" The turian half joked.

"Ugh, I swear Nep, you're hopeless."

_Nep? What kind of name is Nep? _Alaia questioned in her head.

"So, that job on the top floor's taking a lot longer than we first thought." Samantha commented, changing the topic.

Groaning, Nepturus responded, "No kidding, I thought it would only take a few minutes at most, but that guy Chamberlain wants to pull out all the stops. I've never seen so many lights in my life."

"Well, at least it won't take much longer, an hour and a half at most. Then we'll be free for the rest of the day."

"Yeah, at least, what do ya want to do after we're done?"

Samantha thought for a moment, then said, "Well, the new 'Blasto' movie just started showing today. You want to go see that with me?"

Nepturus cocked his head, "'Blasto'? Tthat hanar spectre crap? No offense to the hanar, but they'd make terrible spectres. They can't even hold a gun."

"Hey! Don't diss Blasto! I may have to hurt you."

Nepturus could only laugh out loud, "HA, I'd like to see you try."

_Oh Keelah, just make out already...on second thought, don't, that'd just keep you here longer. _Alaia was started to become irritated by the two 'love birds', they were eating up her time and she needed every second of it. She had to admit, she found it kind of cute how both of them seemed so clueless about one another, but she just wished they'd be clueless somewhere else.

"OK, let's get back to work, help me with this ladder would ya?" Samantha said.

_Finally! _Nepturus and Sam picked up the ladder in the corner of the maintenance room and proceeded out the door. OK_, just give them a minute to leave the hall, then you can make your move._

As the door to the room closed behind the two engineers, Nepturus stopped in mid-step. "Oh yeah, almost forgot. Hang on a sec." He and Sam dropped the ladder on the floor, Sam raising an eyebrow.

"What? Forget something?"

"Yeah, somebody left the door unlocked again before we got here. I keep telling the other staff if they need something out of here to lock it back when they're done. Nobody ever listens to me." Tapping a few commands on his omni-tool, Nepturus heard the powerful locks on the door activate. "There, now tell me, is that so hard? Why can't these people take a couple of seconds out of their day to make sure no one steals any of the stuff in there. Some of it is expensive."

Samantha once again rolled her eyes at her friend, "Holy crap Nep, you're starting to sound like my grandpa, nagging like that."

"Okay, I'm just saying, if one of the diamond tipped drills goes missing, I'm not taking responsibility."

"Just help me with this ladder gramps."

A couple of minutes later, Alaia gathered the courage to chance opening the grate and stepping out into the room. Satisfied that the coast was clear out in the hall, she sighed in relief. "OK, now to find a way to the top floor." As she was talking to herself, she banged into the door, startled that it didn't open automatically. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Alaia frantically opened her omni-tool and tried to connect to the door's controls, only to find out her omni-tool couldn't detect anything. Confused, she scanned the door to try to find answers. _UGH, it's a T-800 series server lock. It's controls are connected to a server somewhere in the hotel, it'll take me hours to back trace the signal and I'll probably trigger every alarm in this place in the process. Now what? _Desperate for a solution, Alaia had a thought. _The vent! _She crawled back into the vent and made her way as far back as she could go until she found a drop, a very long drop. _Keelah, there's no way I'm going down this thing, I'll break every bone in my body. Dammit! _Crawling back out of the vent, all she could do for the time being was pace the room thinking. _Think Alaia, THINK!_

Ball Room, 50th floor, 9:58 AM

"Okay Sam, try it now!" Nepturus called out to his partner on the other side of the room. She tapped some commands on the keypad on the wall control console, bringing the many ambient lights to life throughout the room.

Wincing for a second while adjusting to the light, Samantha called back, "Great job Nep, we may actually be able to take our lunch break for once!"

Nepturus laughed and jokingly responded, "Well, if someone didn't need to touch up her makeup every hour on the hour, we might get done more quickly."

"Hey, you're just jealous that you can't look this good. Beauty like this takes time and effort."

Nepturus smiled and said under his breath, "It's well worth it."

"What was that?" Samantha inquired.

"I said...is it really worth it?" Nepturus recovered, not wanting to divulge his little secret to Sam. Ever since he'd started working at the hotel, he had been friends with her, but over the last few months, he started thinking of her as something more than 'just a friend'. However, he still felt the sting of losing Daktaria, so he was reluctant to get too close to Sam like he had her.

"Damn straight it is. So, since we're almost done, how about we go grab a bite to eat real quick? I'm starving."

Nepturus agreed with, "Sure, I could use some food right about now."

The two turned to head to elevators, when they heard, "Hey! Where do you think you're goin'?"

They turned back to see a couple of the guards Chamberlain had hired to watch over the party. "It's time for our lunch break.", Nepturus responded.

"I didn't ask you 'cricket face', I was talking to the lady here.", replied the human guard. Nepturus was about to rebuke the comment when Samantha tapped his arm, signaling to let it go.

"Look guys, we've been working all day here and we need something to eat. What's the big deal?" Nepturus had to give her credit, she knew how to keep her cool.

"The big deal is that Mr. Chamberlain wants the sound system operational before the party starts, he wants it ready to go so he can give a speech to his guests."

Samantha then tried reason, "The party's not gonna start for an hour, it'll take us around 20 minutes to get everything set up, we've got plenty of time."

The guard began to lose his patience. "Look girly, the boss told us to tell you that he wanted this crap done now. He also told me to tell you that if you don't get it done quick, he's gonna complain to the hotel manager and get you both fired. You guys want that? No? Then shut the hell up and get to work. End of discussion." The guards turned to head back to Chamberlain's room, leaving Nepturus and Samantha both seething and defeated.

"Assholes." Samantha cursed, half whispering, half growling. Nepturus could see that she was starving, she had to skip breakfast to start working on the lighting systems and had only eaten a granola bar throughout the entire day.

He also hated to see her upset, so he put on a smile and said, "Look, if we both hustle, we should be able to get this system operational in about 10 minutes, then we can finally get some food. How's that sound?"

Samantha's scowl slowly began to fade into a smile. "Now you're speaking my language. C'mon, I'll bet you three egg rolls that I can get the two front speaker synced before you can get the two back ones synced, loser buys."

Nepturus put on a challenging grin. "You're on!"

Tarok's Room, 25th Floor, 10:43 AM

Tarok stood in front of the table near the window, gazing down at the sidearm in it's case. He was making final checks on all it's parts, making sure the pistol wouldn't jam during the upcoming fight. He prided himself on his pistol, having owned it for more that 300 years, ever since he'd built it himself all those years ago with the remains of a pistol that held...special meaning to him. This sidearm had helped him through countless battles, including his most famous, the Weyrloc offensive. However, it's age carried a price: it's reliability was failing. With each passing year, the pistol was growing more and more prone to failure, forcing him to rely on weapons that required thermal clips, which he hated. Every time he repaired the pistol or unjammed it, it seemed like it would break down more quickly. To him, this pistol was all he had left of his former honor and glory, so the thought of it dying symbolized, in his mind, his final great failure.

Making a last check of the ammo block, mass driver and trigger, he was satisfied that the pistol was in good working order, taking a second to hold it up to eye level to inspect it's majesty. Truly an antique, the pistol showed numerous stains of various colors, most likely blood, and several scars along it's barrel and handle. It's natural color was a pure metal gray with red lining around the handle and under-barrel. On the left side of the pistol, there was an inscription in an ancient krogan dialect, whose meaning only Tarok knew. Having stared at the pistol and explored some old memories long enough, Tarok shook his head and collapsed the pistol to it's portable mode, placing it in a secret compartment in his armor.

He laid out his plan carefully, knowing that any attempt to get in from the roof would get him spotted by security cameras prematurely and there being no other entrances, Tarok had no choice but to commit to a full frontal assault. He managed to procure a layout of the top floor of the building, including the hallway leading up to the ball room, the ball room itself, and Chamberlain's quarters. Through his source inside the security company Chamberlain hired, he managed to procure the guard's postings and patrol schedules, allowing him to plan out the fastest route to Chamberlain, wanting to get to him quickly before he managed to sneak out. He had only one big obstacle: The party guests. Once the firefight started, there would be no telling how the high-brow, rich cowards would panic and flail about the room. I he was lucky, they'd all get down and stay out of his way; if he was unlucky, which he was guessing he would be, they'd more than likely running around the room like pyjaks during a nest raid. He didn't care if he shot some of them, all he was concerned about was them slowing him down, giving Chamberlain a chance to escape.

Tarok turned to the holographic clock next to the bed: 10:45 AM, 15 minutes until the party started. He had to wait until the party started so the guards would be distracted by all the VIPs and crowds, if he tried to get in any earlier, he may be spotted too soon, allowing his target ample time to escape. Having nothing else to do until then, he turned on the holoscreen to try and pass the time, flipping channels until he found something odd: an documentary about ancient human warriors called 'Spartans: Greatest Warriors in History'. _Hah, this should be a good laugh._

Mike's Room, 30th Floor, 11:05 AM

_Incoming message from _Julia Reynolds

"Checking on me as always. What am I, 12?" Mike thought sarcastically as he accepted his mother's call.

_Call accepted. Establishing connection..._

_Connection established._

_Julia Reynolds (JR): Hey sweetey, just wanted to call to see how you were doing._

_Mike Reynolds (MR): I'm doing fine Mom, just getting ready to go to a party as a matter of fact._

_JR: Great! I'm glad to see that you're finding ways to enjoy yourself. I was sort of worried you were just going to take this vacation like some sort of medicine and not enjoy it at all._

_MR: Well, I have to admit, this vacation's starting to get pretty interesting._

_JR: ...Honey, I wanted to thank you again for taking this vacation. I know you still don't think very highly of your father, but-_

_MR: Mom, please, I just got into this vacation, don't bring this up again._

_JR: Alright, alright. It just...it just upsets me that he died without..._

_MR: I know Mom, but things were said, punches were thrown, stuff like that doesn't get resolved so easily. There's nothing I can do about it now but do this last thing for him, that's about all I'm willing to do._

_JR: I understand honey. Well, I'm gonna let you go, I have some patients to treat before the next batch arrive. Enjoy your party. Love you._

_MR: Love you too Mom, good luck._

_Call terminated._

Mike shut off his omni-tool and walked over to the closet, opening it to reveal all the clothes he'd packed for the trip, including his grandfather's jacket. Mike took that jacket everywhere with him; it was a present from his grandfather just a few months before he died, so it held substantial sentimental value to him. That, and he thought the jacket looked awesome. It was a classic, brown leather jacket, just like the kind humans used to wear on Earth from the late 20th to the early 21st centuries. The right side of the jacket bared a logo, Old Navy, and a year of manufacture, 2094. He always liked the fact that the jacket was older than he was, it gave it sort of an old fashioned feel to him. The jacket was very well loved, though it showed marks of age, such as some worn areas on the sleeves and a small tear on the left collar. Slipping the jacket on, Mike left it open to show his plain white t-shirt underneath, completing his so-called "Indy look", which he always found amusing to see the term confuse people when he used it.

"Okay, 11:05, now's as good a time as any." With that, he picked up the key card to his room, along with his pistol, _Just in case_, and left the room, locking the door behind him.

Food Court, 40th Floor, 11:05 AM

"I've gotta ask, how do you keep in such great shape when you eat like a rabid Varren?" Nepturus asked as he watched Samantha scarf down the three large egg rolls she won on their bet.

She looked up for a second, swallowed her food, and said, "Hey, cut me some slack, I haven't eaten all day. Besides, Louie over there works miracles with these things."

She then continued to inhale the greasy concoctions, much to Nepturus' disgust. "I'll...take your word on that." Even though she was eating like a starved krogan, Nepturus still had to admit, she looked beautiful. He wanted to tell her how he felt, he wanted to let her know how much she really meant to him, but the visions of Daktaria's death would just play over again in his mind whenever he thought about saying anything. However, for one moment, he managed to find a bit of strength.

"Uh...Sam. There's, uh, something I wanted to...talk to you about." This snapped Sam out of her eating frenzy for a second, recognizing the seriousness in his words.

She swallowed her food and wiped her mouth. "Sure Nep, what's up?" He was about to go further, but then the images hit.

_Holding on...can't let go, too much pressure. Wait, Daktaria! Where is she?_

_NEPTURUS!_

_Tari, hold on! I can't...reach you! Please, hang on! Don't let go!_

_Why couldn't you save me? ...why?_

_Tari! Please don't-_

_Goodbye Nepturus..._

_TAAAARRIIIIIII!_

_Nepturus...Nep...NEP! Snap out of it._

"Wha?" Nepturus was literally shaking with panic. Sam's look of concern was blatant.

"Nep, what's wrong? You spaced out for a second."

Nepturus shook his head for a second, clearing his thoughts. "I, um...I'm fine. Just...just thought I forgot to close up the circuit console for a second. You know how bad that can turn out." _No way she's buying that. _

Sam realized Nepturus had some stress issues, but she'd never seen him this bad before. "Does this have to do what you said you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Yeah, you could say that."

"Then what is it? What's wrong?"

Nepturus was petrified, he wanted to say it, but whenever he tried, the images just got stronger. "I...uh...I wanted to...well..." _Hull breach...can't reach...have to save her...can't lose her again...not again._

_Incoming call from _Marcus Tember

_THANK THE SPIRITS! _"Hold that thought." Nepturus then hurriedly accepted the call.

_Call accepted. Establishing connection..._

_Connection established._

_Marcus Tember (MT): VITAN! Where the hell are you and Mullins?_

_Nepturus Vitan (NV): We're on the 40th floor Marcus, why?_

_MT: Because, Vitan; I just got a call from Chamberlain that your audio setup has just shorted out, he's fuming! Are you trying to get stars taken off the rating of this hotel?_

_NV: Those idiots must have done something to screw it up, it was working perfectly when we left a few minutes ago._

_MT: I'm not asking you why it's busted, I'm telling you to go up there and FIX IT! I swear Vitan, if you end up souring our reputation with this mess, I'm going to sack you so hard you're going to be seeing stars! Do you understand?_

_NV: ...Perfectly, Marcus. I'll be up there in a minute._

_MT: Be there in less, and Mullins?_

_Samantha Mullins (SM): Yeah?_

_MT: I'm getting reports that elevator 12 is malfunctioning, be a good little girl and figure out why! OK? OK. Get to it!_

_Call terminated._

"For the second time today: Asshole." Samantha snarled in her usual manner when speaking the word. Nepturus didn't like going back up there during a crowded highbrow party, especially after the way the hotel manager just talked to Sam, but he also needed a way to postpone their "talk" until he could get his nerves under control.

"We better get to it Sam, Marcus is already on the warpath, I don't want you getting in trouble."

Samantha looked concerned again, "But what about that talk you wanted to have?"

"It can wait, trust me. I just want to get up there and get out before one of those xenophobic asses up there decide to make it open season on me."

Samantha knew something was up, but also knew Nepturus wouldn't talk to her in this state and relented to let him calm down first. "Okay, I'll talk to you after you're done up top."

"Alright, I promise, I'll talk to you about it then. Bye."

"Okay, bye." With that, the two friends parted ways, Nepturus towards the elevator to the top floor and Samantha to Elevator shaft 12.

While he walked to the elevator, Nepturus made a decision. _I'm telling her. I'm through playing the scared kid with a crush, after I'm done up there, I'm telling her...but HOW dammit?_

Maintenance Closet, 35th Floor, 11:05 AM

_I have no choice, if I want any chance of meeting Lore, I have to risk it. _Alaia was now desperate, she knew if she waited any longer, she may not be able to sneak past the guards and meet her big chance to make her dream a reality. She knew she risked a lot by doing this, but she had no choice; she had to try and hack the door. She opened her omni-tool, tapped a few button on the holographic display, then paused for a second. _If I pick the right server, the door will open. If I don't, the entire system will go on hacker alert and I'll be locked out until hotel security comes to arrest me. Focus Alaia, focus. Let those hacker juices flow. You can do this._

Taking a few deep, slow breaths, Alaia opened a back door into the hotel security network and searched through all the different server names. At this point, it was just a guessing game, a game that wouldn't end well for her if she lost. _Okay, Keelah, if you're hearing this, please let me pick the right one. Please don't prove my father right. _After flipping through several choices, she finally settled on a server, letting her instincts make the call. _Okay, here it goes...One...Two...Screw it, THREE! _

_Access main server 23B-32 through access port "Maint. Door 32" - Execute command "door unlock"_

_Stand by..._

_Stand by..._

_Stand by..._

_C'mon...c'mon..._

_..._

_..._

_..._

_Access granted, command accepted, door unlocked._

"YES! Thank you, thank you!" Hearing the locks on the door disengage, she allowed the door to open and stepped out, half dancing as she did, happy with herself. Then she gazed at the clock on her omni-tool: 11:06 AM. _Oh crap, I've gotta get up there, maybe I can sneak in through the large crowds of party goers. It's worth a shot. _Alaia then bolted for the nearest elevator.

Tarok's room, 26th Floor, 11:03 AM

Having just finished watching the documentary, Tarok switched off the holoscreen. _Hm, they weren't bad. Could've used some krogan blood though. _Reading the clock, Tarok concluded that, at that point, dozens of guests were now pouring into the ball room, distracting the guards to his content. Making sure his gun was still in good shape, he sighed and walked out of his room. In the hallway, he looked to his left to see an elevator. _Here we go..._

Space, Nearing Earth Orbit, 11:07 AM

_**We have found it.**_

_**This shall be the beginning of their ascension.**_

_**Prepare all units for ground assault.**_

_**Let the harvest begin.**_

Wow, this chapter took forever to write, but I think the time and effort was worth it. Now things are starting to come together here, so that can only mean one thing: stuff is about to go down and our heroes are going to be knee deep in it. As always, I want to hear everyone's input, so feel free to leave a review. Thank you for reading.


	6. Chapter 2: Elevator to Hell

Chapter 2: Elevator to Hell

Tarok tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for the elevator to arrive. _Stupid thing! Chamberlain will die of old age before this thing gets here. _Just as he was about to look for another elevator, he heard the **ding **elevator arriving in front of him. _Finally__! _After stepping onto the elevator, Tarok commanded the its computer to take him to the top floor. The doors closed and the elevator started its slow ascent to the top floor, infuriating Tarok even further. "Come on you worthless pile of pyjak dung, faster!" The elevator's computer then chimed in, This elevator is currently moving at maximum velocity. Causing Tarok to growl ferociously.

…

…

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Now at Floor 27

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Now at Floor 28

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Now at Floor 29

"Stupid machine!" Was all Tarok could muster, his frustration nearing the point of blood rage. He couldn't understand why elevators could be so slow, even though they'd been invented hundreds of years ago. Just as the elevator neared the 30th floor, he felt it slow down even further, and then stop. _Now what? _

Mike tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for the elevator to arrive. _Man, these things are so slow. How do they get anything done in this place? _As he finished complaining in his head, he heard the elevator stop behind the doors. "About time." As the doors slid open, he saw a krogan already inside the elevator, and an obviously irritated one at that. He at first thought to simply wait for another one, as he didn't want to provoke an already irritable krogan, but decided to just get on instead of waiting for another elevator. After stepping on, he noticed the elevator was already heading for his floor, so he kept silent. The doors slid closed and the elevator started its slow journey again.

Tarok now had a problem on his hands. He would have preferred to have the elevator to himself to reduce the chance of being noticed too soon, but he also didn't want to take the chance of the human reporting him as suspicious if he told him to beat it. _This guy just better stay out of my way, that's all I know. _

Mike crossed his arms as the elevator slowly crawled up to the top floor. He looked over at the krogan in the elevator with him, wondering why he was wearing combat armor. _Maybe he's one of Chamberlain's guards. That, or there's something else going on here. _He had run into krogans before, most of the time fighting them off during some of his company's expeditions, but he'd never really had a chance to talk to one before. He nonchalantly said, "Wow, these elevators are slow. I mean, how many floors have we gone up in the last minute? Two?"

"..."

_Okay, so he's not the talkative type, better just shut up now. _He re-crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall.

Tarok mumbled inside his head, _Why do humans always feel the need to talk to strangers about the most pointless things? _The two just stood there in silence until they got to the 35th floor, where the elevator slowed down again. _Damnit. Another human? Now I'm going to have to listen to them chatter all the way up._

Alaia paced back and forth in front of the elevator door. _Keelah, how am I going to get in? If I run into the guards they'll kick me out, but they have them stationed in front of the elevator exit for sure. What am I gonna do, this is my only way in! Think Alaia, think! _She then her the elevator arrive and her body went rigid, trying to remain calm and collected. The doors slid open to reveal a human and..._Wow, a real krogan. I'd seen pictures on the flotilla, but I never realized they were that...big. _Amazed at the krogan's stature, Alaia forgot she was holding up the elevator.

Tarok was about to snap, first the human tries to get him talking in the elevator, now this quarian is holding up the already slow elevator. "You getting on or not? Because if you're not, then back up and let us get moving!", he growled at the quarian, nearly causing her to jump out of her environment suit.

Mike looked at the quarian girl, who was now looking down at her feet in nervousness due to the krogan's tantrum. He knew krogan weren't exactly the friendliest of species, but he never knew they were rude too. He stuck his head out of the elevator and said to her, "Don't mind him. You going up?"

Alaia looked over to the human, a sincere smile on his face, something she hadn't seen the entire time she was on Earth. She calmed down a bit and said, "Yeah, I'm, uh, headed up to the top fl-" _Crap, what if these guys are some of Chamberlain's guards, they're bound to tell I don't have an invitation. _

She then heard him say, "Ah, cool, that's where we're...well, I'm headed too. Hop on."

Her nerves finally subsided, though she still cautiously walked onto the elevator, standing closer to the human than the krogan. Alaia wasn't one to be scared easily, and had the krogan not been a krogan, she probably would have told him off for being so rude to her. Since he was a krogan, everything she'd been taught about them gave her reason to be nervous.

The elevator doors slid closed again and the elevator rose slowly upwards. Mike looked over at the quarian, noting that she must not have been more than 20 years old, telling him she was most likely on her pilgrimage, though he wondered what a quarian on pilgrimage would be doing at a ritzy party like the one on the top floor. He didn't want to offend her in case she was a VIP or something, so he simply asked, "So, you on your pilgrimage?"

_Wha-, how does he know about... _Alaia turned to him curiously, not expecting a human to know about the pilgrimage. "Y-yeah, I just left the flotilla a few days ago. How do you know about that?"

"I've run into a couple of quarians in my work, one of them mentioned how his son was about to go on pilgrimage. I was curious so I asked him about it and he told me all about it. So, what are you hoping to find at the party worth taking back to your people, besides all the ridiculously expensive finger sandwiches and desserts?"

Alaia giggled at the joke and responded, "Nothing like that. Actually, it's not so much a something as a someone. I'm hoping to meet a famous artist attending the party, Alfonso Lore."

"Alfy? He's gonna be at the party? Wow, I haven't seen that weirdo in a couple of years."

Alaia's eyes widened at his statement. _He KNOWS him...personally? Wait, keep calm, don't geek out, don't geek out. _"You mean you know him? Like, you've talked to him in person?"

"Yeah, he once tagged along on one of my company's archaeological digs when we were looking for some ancient asari cave paintings on Thessia. He's a cool guy. A little...eccentric, but still, he's alright."

"WOW, you are so lucky. Alfonso Lore is a genius! I've been a huge fan of his three-dimensional abstracts and classic oil paintings since I was 10. I wish I could meet him so easily. I'll be lucky if the guards don't..." _STUPID STUPID STUPID!_

Mike raised an eyebrow, "You don't have an invitation?" The quarian just shook her head in her hands, obviously thinking he was going to turn her in. Normally, he wouldn't help someone who wasn't supposed to be at the party, but he could see this meant a lot to her. "Well, it says here on the invitation that I can bring a guest, and since I don't really know anyone else here..."

_No way. He's gonna...Oh thank you Keelah thank you! _"You're gonna help me get in?"

"Why not? I'll even introduce you to Alfy, how's that sound?"

"Wow, thank you...wow, you're being so nice and I didn't even think to ask for your name."

"Well, we can easily fix that. Mike Reynolds." He said, putting out his hand.

Alaia took his hand and shook it, a great sense of relief washing over her. "Alaia 'Koran nar Ictomy. Pleasure to meet you."

This whole time, Tarok just stood there while the two other occupants gabbed on. He would roll his eyes from time to time, especially at the quarian's obsession with the human artist. He remembered reading up on all the guests that would be at the party and seeing that Lore was a secret member of Humanity First, a pro-human group known for xenophobic activities. _Good luck with him quarian, if he doesn't shoot you on sight. _After the two introduced themselves, the elevator slowed to a crawl again at the 40th floor.

"Wow, we've been talking this whole time and we've only gone up 5 floors. Why are these elevators so slow?" Alaia said as the elevator doors slid open.

Then a voice from outside the elevator chimed in. "Mainly because some of the other elevator's have been acting up recently so we're slowing them down to make sure there's no mechanical reason for it. But also because these things are obsolete as all hell. I keep telling them to get upgrades, but no one listens to the turian around here." Nepturus semi-consciously answered while typing some commands into his omni-tool. He looked up to see three people staring at him, eyebrows raised. "Sorry, I've just complained about these things so many times that it's kind of a "pet peeve" to me, as humans call it. Is this elevator heading for the top floor?"

Mike nodded his head and said, "Yeah, at a whopping two miles an hour." Eliciting a chuckle from Alaia.

"Good, thanks. I need to get up there before Chamberlain complains to the manager." With that, he stepped onto the elevator, the doors closing behind him.

_Great, first a human, then a quarian, now a damn turian. It's like the universe is trying to make me tear this elevator apart before we even make it up there. _Tarok grumbled in his head. He was tolerant of most species as long as they didn't annoy him, but one species he had no patience for were the turians, mostly due to their involvement in spreading the genophage amongst his people, basically neutering them.

Nepturus stood near the doors of the elevator, tapping his feet in boredom for about half a minute. He looked around at the other occupants, the human, the quarian, and the krogan, whom he noticed was giving him the "evil eye" as he'd heard Sam say from time to time. _Oh great, a resentful krogan, just don't talk to him and you'll be fine._

After another minute, he noticed that the elevator had only gone up 2 floors, making him shake his head and say to the two others, "I have to apologize for this, these elevators aren't always this slow, it's just for maintenance purposes."

The human put up his hand and said, "It's no big deal, I'm in no rush. Even at the pace this thing is going, the party will still be there when I get up there. You an engineer here?"

Nepturus responded, "Yep, you're looking at the, so called, chief engineer of the Buckingham Terrace Hotel. Nepturus Vitan." He put his hand out, the human shaking it in greeting. "Mike Reynolds."

The quarian then put her hand out to Nepturus and said, "Hi, Alaia 'Koran nar Ictomy."

Nepturus smiled while shaking your hand and instinctively turned to the other occupant, holding out his hand to introduce himself, forgetting it was the krogan. He slightly retracted his hand and cursed inwardly at himself. The krogan seemed to speak through his teeth, "What's the matter turian? Afraid you'll catch the genophage? It'd seem fair to me, an eye for an eye." This caused Nepturus to put his hand down completely and just lean back against the wall on the other side of the elevator, relieved that the krogan hadn't torn his arm off.

The four occupants of the elevator just sat back and waited for the elevator to reach the 50th floor.

50th floor, 11:09 AM

"Where is that maintenance man? I've already had to postpone my speech once, if I have to do it again that idiot hotel manager is going to get an earful!" Chamberlain fumed, looking out at the ball room where the party was in full swing. Over a hundred of the galaxy's most prestigious humans were in attendance, drinking, dancing, and mingling around the room. The massive chandelier that hung overhead shone light to every corner of the room, its diamond fixtures give some areas a nice shimmering effect. There were several tables, all covered with the finest silk sheets and adorned with several fancy confections, including several off-world ales to fit most palettes. The guests were obviously enjoying themselves, much to Chamberlain's approval. _Excellent, they're all in the palm of my hand. Now if only those damned engineers would get up here and fix these speakers. Damn turian's probably saluting some ancient spirit of his every 5 minutes as brainwashed as they are. _

Chamberlain took another sip of his wine, a smirk on his face as he drank. He then heard the familiar sound of his omni-tool telling him his assistant was calling. "Yes?"

_I'm sorry to bother you sir, but Mr. Roach is here to see you. He's quite insistent. _

"Roach? Why is he still at the party? I told him to leave!" Chamberlain could hear some disturbance on the other end, then he heard Roach's voice.

_Look Mr. Chamberlain, I gotta see ya, it's about Reynolds._

"How many times do I have to tell you this? I will deal with him when he gets here. Stop bothering me or the deal's off!"

_Listen, I want to- no, I HAVE to be the one who kills him! He's taken too much from me for you to- _

"ROACH!" Nothing but silence was heard on the other side of the call as Chamberlain's voice reverberated across his penthouse. He very seldom lost his temper, but Roach was becoming more trouble that he was worth to him. He took some deep breaths and spoke again, "I'm warning you Roach. If you bother me one more time, just one more time, not only will I terminate our 'partnership', I will also terminate YOU! Are we clear?"

_….yeah, yeah, I got it. Sorry Mr. Chamberlain._

"Good, now leave before I tell my guards to shoot you on sight." With that, he terminated the call.

He took his drink over to the window of his penthouse, gazing out over the London skyline, the Thames just over the horizon. He took a deep, relaxing breath as the music from the party outside filled relaxed him, as well as the wine he was consuming. _Soon, it will all be mine for the picking. _He thought as he took another sip of his wine, just as a shadow cast itself over his face. This confused him, as there wasn't a cloud in the sky a second ago. Then, upon hearing a low, ominous hum coming from outside, he turned back to the window...and dropped his wine glass. _Dear God..._

Guest Elevator 3, 48th floor, 11:11 AM

"We're almost to the top floor." Mike said, trying to stir up a conversation.

Without thinking, Tarok responded, "About time."

Alaia took a couple deep breaths, readying herself to meet her lifelong idol. Mike noticed her nervousness, "Stop worrying, Alfy's a bit of a weirdo, but I'm sure you and him will get along just fine."

"I hope so, I don't want to have to call my father back on the flotilla for a ride back home. I'll look like a bosh'tet."

Nepturus looked puzzled at the word she'd just used, "What's a _bosh'tet_? Some kind of animal?"

"No, it's similar to the human phrase _son-of-a-"_

**RUMBLE**

Before Alaia could finish her sentence, the entire elevator shook violently and stopped dead in its tracks, the lights flickering from the strain. The four occupants struggled to keep their footing for the brief second it lasted. After the shaking stopped, Mike spoke up, "The hell was that?"

"Oh crap", Nepturus answered, "the elevator motors must have failed. I told them we should have shut these things down to give them a proper inspection. Hang on, I'll call my co-worker to send a repair-"

**BOOM**

Another violent quake took place, this time accompanied by a loud noise that resembled an explosion. The group again struggled to stay on their feet, gripping onto the hand rails inside for balance. After what seemed like much longer than the last time, the shaking subsided, leaving the occupants questioning Nepturus' earlier assessment.

"That didn't sound like a blown motor. It sounded more like a bomb went off." Alaia remarked, noticeably nervous.

Nepturus responded by activating his omni-tool and calling Sam, "Sam, it's Nep. I'm in Elevator 3, near the top floor. It's gone out and we need a team up her immediately."

…

"Sam? Can you hear me? Sam, answer me!"

…

Nepturus was now visibly nervous, "This isn't right, she always answers her omni-tool. Something's wrong."

"Really? What tipped you off, turian? The fact that we're stuck in an elevator that's not moving, or the bomb that's obviously been set off in the building?" Tarok quipped sarcastically.

"Look krogan, I'm not in the mood for your attitude, so just back off!"

"You want to die, turian? Then smart off to me again and I'll be happy to oblige!" Tarok and Nepturus were now staring each other down, the stress of the situation apparent.

Mike stepped between them to break them up, "HEY, calm down, this isn't helping anything! Right now, the elevator isn't moving and we can't contact the outside, so we need to get out of this elevator on our own. That means cooperating for the time being."

Tarok then turned to Mike, "Screw you human, I don't take orders from anyone, especially not a fleshy, hair covered pyjak like you!"

"I'm not giving anyone orders, I'm just saying, killing each other isn't going to help our situation."

"If you think I'm going to work with the people who helped destroy my entire race, then you can forget it. I'd rather die first!"

"ALL OF YOU JUST SHUT UP!" All eyes shot towards Alaia, her posture showing that she was fed up with all the arguing. She walked over to Tarok and put a finger to his chest. "Listen you bosh'tet, I don't care how big you are, or how strong you are! If we're going to make it out of this, we need to work together. If you don't like that, then just stay out of our way, GOT IT?"

All the males in the elevator were speechless, especially Tarok, who stood there, eyes staring down at the much smaller quarian female, dumbfounded. He had never had someone stand up to him in this manner, let alone a quarian. He thought to himself for a second, then a small laugh escaped from his mouth. "HA, you've got a quad quarian, I'll give you that. You've also got a point, but don't think this means we're getting all chummy here. As soon as we're out of here, I'm going to finish my business on the top floor and I'm gone. We clear?"

Alaia, still amazed she'd stood up to the krogan twice as big as her and survived, nodded her head and said, "Fair enough...uh, what'd you say your name was?"

"I didn't." Tarok replied.

"Aw, come on, if we're going to work together, at least tell us your name. Please?" Alaia then put on her best pouty posture, knowing the krogan couldn't see her face.

Tarok had no intention on telling them his name, but the quarian kept staring at him like a baby Varren. Just to get her to stop, high sighed deeply and said, "Tarok, happy now?"

"Very! Now, how do we get out of here?" Alaia chirped, looking to Mike, a dumbfounded look still on his face.

"Well, uh, Nepturus, you're the engineer here, isn't there an escape hatch or something in this thing?" Mike stammered out.

"Hm, yeah, I think so, it should be up there on the ceiling." All eyes went to the top of the elevator, looking for the door for the escape hatch. Just then, another violent bout of shaking and an even louder explosion rocked the elevator, this time causing all four occupants to fall to the floor. Then, they felt the elevator drop a bit, then a bit more, until it entered freefall.

"HANG ON TO SOMETHING!" Mike shouted as a screeching noise was heard from outside and the elevator seemed to slow down drastically. Just a few seconds after it started to fall, it screeched to a stop. The lights were now completely out, blanketing the entire elevator in darkness.

"Everyone okay? Any injuries?" Nepturus questioned, his military training kicking in.

"I'm alright." Mike answered.

"Yeah, me too. Tarok, you okay?" Alaia responded, pulling herself off the floor.

Tarok grunted, signalling that he was alright, "I'm not dead, that's good enough for me."

Nepturus tapped a command on his omni-tool, activating its flashlight, pouring light into the elevator. Nepturus beamed the light over everyone, checking them for injuries. When he saw that everyone was alright, he turned to the elevator door, opening a holographic display next to it. The display was flickering, signaling to him that it was malfunctioning. "Damnit, the emergency station is damaged. I can't even figure out what floor we're on."

Mike shook his head and said, "Well, we'll find out soon enough I guess, I'm just glad the emergency brakes kicked in. Now where's that hatch?"

Nepturus shone his flashlight to the ceiling, looking for the hatch handle. "There it is, that indent in the ceiling with the grip in it."

Mike nodded his head and stepped underneath it, grasping the handle and turning in the indicated "open" direction. He then pushed up to open it, but found it wouldn't budge. Then he tried pulling it down, nothing. "Oh great, it's jammed, now what?"

Just then, Tarok nudged Mike out of the way, balled up his fist and slammed it into the hatch, sending it flying off. Tarok looked over to the others and said, "Are we getting out of here, or were you planning on moving in?"

The others simply shrugged their shoulders, Mike saying, "Alright then, Alaia, you go first." Mike then bent down and cupped his hand together to help her up.

Alaia nodded and put her right foot into Mike's hands, Mike then lifting her up to the hatch. She grabbed onto the ledge and pulled herself up, sitting on top of the elevator.

"What do you see up there?" Nepturus called up to her.

Alaia turned on her own omni-tool's flashlight and scanned around, coming to a set of elevator doors level to the top of the elevator. "Good news; I found a set of doors up here, we can use them to get out of the shaft."

"Great! Alright, Nepturus, you're next." Mike said, assuming his assistance position. Nepturus repeated what Alaia did and climbed up to the top of the elevator, Alaia helping him up.

Mike then looked to Tarok, "Ok, so unless you think I can lift you up there, I guess I go next. We'll help bring you up."

Tarok huffed and said, "I won't need your help, I can lift myself up."

Mike rolled his eyes and said, "Whatever you say. Now, would you mind helping me up?" Expecting Tarok to simply help him climb up, he was caught off guard when Tarok grabbed him by the back of his jacket and threw him through the shaft, landing feet first on the top, barely. "Damnit, Tarok! I said 'help me up' not 'catapult me up'."

"My way is quicker. Now give me some room."

Mike and the others backed up a bit to give Tarok room to climb up. Tarok jumped up, grabbing the ledge of the hatch and lifted himself up until...

**Klunk**

"Uh, Tarok, I don't think you'll fit through the hatch." Nepturus surmised from the krogan's inability to go any further up.

"Shut up Turian!" Frustrated, Tarok too one hand and pushed against the opposite side of the hatch, bending it little by little until it gave him enough room to get out. He lifted himself the rest of the way and looked to Nepturus, "You were saying?"

"Okay, so I was wrong. Let's just get this door open." Nepturus then went to access the emergency operating panel next to the doors, but found his passcode wouldn't give him access. After attempting to gain access several times, he relented. "Something's happened to the security grid. Probably malfunctioning from the power outages. My passcodes won't let me in."

"Move then, I'll just pry it open." Turok stated.

"You can't, these doors have 4,000 PSI pistons holding them shut. Not even you could pry them open."

Alaia then walked up to the panel, her omni-tool switched on, "Let me try, I can bypass the security grid and perform a manual shutdown on the pistons." She then began tapping commands into her omni-tool.

Nepturus shook his head and said, "Alaia, this hotel has one of the most secure and top-of-the-line security networks on the market. There's no way you can get through."

"I've got it!"

"What?" Nepturus said in disbelief. Sure enough, the hissing of the pistons letting off air pressure could be heard inside the walls. Mike then walked up to the doors and easily pulled them open. Alaia stood up, her hand on her hip.

Nepturus still looked confused, "How did you..."

"When you live on a ship out in space all of your life, you tend to pick up these things." Alaia answered, a hint of smugness in her reply.

"Good work, Alaia. Ok, let's go." With that, all but Nepturus stepped out of the elevator, Nepturus still staring at the panel.

"Well...I loosened it!"

Whew, that one took a while to write, I hope you all enjoy it.


	7. Chapter 3: Crashing the Crashed Party

Chapter 3: Crashing the crashed party.

Nepturus joined to group outside, noticing the flickering lights in the hallway, signaling to him that there was a severe power malfunction. Free of the elevator, he tried again to make contact with Sam, "Sam, c'mon Sam answer your damn omni-tool! It's Nep." No answer. Just as he was about to give up, he finally heard her voice answer him.

_Nep? What the hell is going on? Everything just went dark down here!_

"Sam! Thank the spirits, I've been trying to reach you for the past 10 minutes."

_Same here. There was some kind of explosion or earthquake or something, the entire maintenance shaft nearly collapsed on me._

"Are you alright?"

_ Yeah, I'm fine. I managed to leap back into the hall just in time._

"Do you have any idea what happened? Was it some sort of terrorist attack?"

_I don't know. All I know is one minute I was working on this damn elevator and then, the next thing I know, the entire shaft is about to collapse on me._

"Ok, just stay there. We're coming to get you out of there."

_Don't worry about me Nep, I'm in the maintenance room looking after some guests that managed to find their way in here. It's so dark you can barely see a thing. We're alright for now though, you just worry about finding any more injured guests._

"Are you sure?"

_Nep, I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself. Just promise me you won't go and get yourself hurt._

"Alright, I won't. Stay safe, I'll keep in touch."

_Ok, good luck._

Once Sam closed the channel, Nepturus took a big sigh of relief and said, "At least she's safe, but that still doesn't explain what the hell's happened here. What's causing this?"

Mike then turned on his omni-tool, attempting to access the local news channels, only to find nothing but static on every channel. "I can't get a signal from anywhere. It's like I'm being jammed."

Alaia was also looking through her omni-tool and came to the same conclusion. She nervously asked, "Yeah...but by who?"

"I don't know," Mike responded, "but we need to keep together until we figure it out."

"**WE **don't need to do anything, human. I'm heading up to the top floor to finish my business with Chamberlain." Tarok snapped back, pulling out his pistol to make clear what his 'business' was.

"Wait a minute, you're not thinking about killing him, are you?" Alaia asked, confused as to his motives.

"I'm not thinking about it girlie, I'm doing it. I'm getting paid a good deal to kill him, and I honor my contracts." Tarok responded.

Nepturus then stepped up to Tarok in an aggressive stance, "If you think we're gonna let you-"

Tarok then pointed his pistol in Nepturus' face, fully intent on pulling the trigger, "I don't see how you could stop me, turian. Though I welcome you to try, I could use a good laugh right now."

Just then, Tarok heard the unmistakable sound of a pistol extending and looked to its source, which turned out to be Mike, who was pointing his pistol straight at him. "Put the pistol away and let's talk about this rational-" Before he could finish, another violent shaking accompanied by an explosive sound threatened to throw them off their feet. This time, it was so violent that some of the metal panels above their heads fell to the ground and several hall lights blew out. As the shaking subsided, Tarok took the opportunity to point his gun away from Nepturus and over to Mike, Mike still managing to keep his gun trained on Tarok.

Alaia began to lose her patience again, "Guys, we don't have time for this. People could be hurt, we should be helping them, not trying to kill each other."

"You can go and help all the people you want, just don't get in my way." Tarok responded, still pointing his pistol straight at Mike's head. He stared down at Mike, still amazed that the human was maintaining his position. As hard as Tarok stared at him, Mike stared back with just as much intensity. "You don't back down human, I can respect that at least, but I'm going to kill Chamberlain."

"Why? It looks to me like we have more to worry about than your contract. Besides, does he really deserve it? He's just another rich guy." Mike argued.

Tarok was losing his patience, a small chuckle escaping him, "Hmph, and here I thought Roach was going to be most likely to cause me problems, as big a fool as he is."

This immediately piqued Mike's interest. "Wait a minute. Roach? As in Jeremiah Roach?"

"Yeah, I saw his name on the list of people my contact spotted at the party. What of him?"

Mike lowered his gun, a look of confusion and anger washing over his face. "You've gotta be kidding me? That son of a bitch Chamberlain was setting me up. I'm such an IDIOT!"

Nepturus spoke up, "What are you talking about? Who is this Roach guy?"

"He's a pirate that operates out in the Terminus systems. I've run into him a couple of times while he was trying to steal my friends' discoveries. The last time I saw him I took out a few of his men and nearly took Roach out too, but he managed to slip away. If what Tarok says is true...I was being led to my own execution!" Mike ranted, clearly enraged at the prospect of being fooled in that manner.

"Now that we've gotten that out of the way," Tarok said, still keeping his gun trained on Mike, "you gonna get in my way again?"

Mike stood there in thought, looking over to Nepturus and Alaia, both of whom shook their heads. "...no, I won't."

"Good. Now, if you'll excuse me." Tarok then lowered his gun to his side and made his way to the emergency stairs.

Mike then followed suit, "Hold on, I'm coming too."

Tarok, feeling irritation flood his senses once again, didn't even bother turning to face Mike as he said, "I don't need your help human. I've killed men 10 times tougher than Chamberlain with my bare hands. This time'll be no different."

"I'm not going to help you kill Chamberlain, though to be honest I could care less now if you did. I'm going up there to help anyone who might be hurt." Mike then turned to Alaia and Nepturus, "You guys coming?"

Alaia nodded her head, "Of course, someone has to keep you two from killing each other. That and Lore is still up there and he may need help."

Nepturus also nodded his head in agreement, "I had some medical training while in the military. It's nothing special, just basic first-aid, but it should be enough to help any injured."

"Whatever. I can't stop you from going up to the top floor, but just don't get in my way. Got it?" Tarok stated, rolling his eyes.

Alaia, her new sense of bravery towards Tarok kicking in, walked past him and said, "That'll be kind of hard considering how much space you take up." This produced a chuckle from both Mike and Nepturus.

Tarok growled, "Don't test me quarian. I'm not in a good mood."

"Are you ever? Now come on, let's get up there!" Alaia opened the door to the emergency stair case and walked inside, the three males following suit. It was then that the group got a look at the floor number on the wall of the staircase: 28.

"Great, 22 floors of stairs to climb. This vacation just keeps getting better by the second." Mike joked, the others looking just as thrilled.

Alaia looked up the stairwell, noting the seemingly endless pattern of stairs with a groan. "Anyone else starting to miss the elevator about now?"

Nepturus shook his head at the others' distress. "C'mon guys, it's not that bad. I've had to run up and down these stairs for the past couple of years. Trust me, they go by fast."

"You know what'd make them go by faster? If you idiots shut up long enough to actually start climbing them." Tarok stated, already heading up the first flight of stairs.

The others then started to ascend the stairs after him, going at a jogging pace. Still feeling a bit nervous from the situation, Alaia tried to find a way to lighten the mood. She turned to Nepturus and said, "So, Nepturus..."

"Just call me Nep. All my friends do."

"Ok, Nep, what's a hardened turian soldier like yourself doing in a dead end job like this, if you don't mind my asking?"

Nepturus initially chuckled at being called 'hardened', but then realized a sort of truth behind it. "It's a long story, you wouldn't be interested."

"You're right, we wouldn't." Tarok called down from a flight up.

Alaia shot Tarok a dirty look he couldn't see and said, "Ignore him, besides, it's not like we have anything better to do."

"Besides singing '100 bottles of beer on the wall' that is." Mike added in, half joking.

Nepturus sighed a bit, "Ok, well, I was in the military for 15 years, ever since I was 15. I had a knack for machinery early on, so I got posted mainly on maintenance duty on cruisers and scout ships, until they moved me up to the big fish: The Destiny Ascension."

Alaia immediately gasped in disbelief, "No way. You were stationed aboard the Destiny Ascension? The biggest ship in the Citadel Fleet?"

"You've heard of it?"

"Of course, being a quarian it's pretty much genetic that we have a fascination with ships, especially ones as advanced as the Destiny Ascension."

"Yep, she was a something, that's for sure. She had one of the biggest eezo cores I'd ever seen on any ship, a fully stocked mess hall with any kind of cuisine you could want, and the most comfortable beds of any military vessel. It was heaven to work on that ship."

"What happened to make you give it up?" Mike asked.

"The Battle of the Citadel happened." A look of despair become apparent on Nepturus' face.

"Oh, you were there? What happened?" Alaia asked, her tone switching from pure interest to concern.

"Just what they said in the news vids, Sovereign and the geth attacked, the fleet nearly bit the dust. Then that human spectre came along and pulled our asses out of the fire. Simple as that." Nepturus stated, beginning to feel apprehensive.

"So, you left your people's military because you had to get into one real battle. Some soldier you turned out to be." Tarok chuckled out.

Nepturus' face switched to pure rage. "DON'T TALK ABOUT THINGS YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Everyone, including Tarok, stopped in their tracks and just stared at him for a second. Nepturus calmed himself and apologized. "Sorry, it's just that...things happened that I'd rather not talk about."

"Sorry Nep, I didn't want to upset you." Alaia said, her head hanging low.

"Eh, don't worry about it. Let's just forget about me and focus on getting up to the top floor, what floor are we on now anyway?" Nepturus inquired, dodging the talk of his past yet again.

"Uh, 42 I think. Hey Tarok, do you see a floor number up there?" Mike called up to the krogan.

"It's not the 50th floor, that's all you need to know, human." Tarok dismissively answered.

"Ok then, there's your answer." Mike was getting used to Tarok's attitude, and he wasn't sure if he was particularly proud of that.

"So, Mike, I've spilled my life story, what about you? What's an adventurous human such as yourself doing in a boring city like London?" Nepturus asked, regaining his composure and wanting to shift focus away from himself.

"My dad mostly. He died a few days ago."

"Oh Keelah, I'm so sorry." Alaia sympathized.

"Don't be. We weren't exactly on great terms, but still, my mother was devastated. Apparently my dad had been saving his money for years to take us all on a trip to Earth. When he died, my mother asked me to use the money to take a vacation here, so here I am. I know, you can barely contain your excitement, right?' Mike finished with clear sarcasm and a smirk.

Alaia felt like she could relate somewhat to Mike's relationship with his father. "I know how you feel, I don't exactly have the father of the year, or even the month for that matter."

Just then, a loud, metallic banging noise could be heard a couple of flights above Mike, Nepturus and Alaia. Mike raised an eyebrow until he heard a familiar grunt with the banging, then he sighed. "I think Tarok's found the door to the ball room."

"About time, I've only been walking up these stairs for about 5 minutes and I'm already sick of them." Nepturus proclaimed.

"Hey, what happened to 'C'mon guys, it's not that bad'?" Mike asked, a smirk forming on his face.

"It passed out about 10 flights ago." Alaia and Mike chuckled at his change of attitude.

The group reached the top of the stairs and saw the door that led to the ball room. Tarok readied his pistol, as did Mike, in case Chamberlain were the cause of the hotel incident and had prepared for retaliation. Tarok then reared back and slammed his fist into the door, finding more resistance than he had anticipated. He punched the door again, visibly denting it, but coming no closer to busting it down.

"There must be something blocking the other side, maybe the inner ceiling collapsed on top of it." Mike observed.

Tarok growled, frustration clouding his judgment, he prepared himself to charge straight into the door, but before he could, Nepturus jumped in front of him, waving him off. "Tarok, stop! If you damage the door too badly we'll never get it open!"

Close to charging through Nepturus, Tarok held off for a second. "Then what do you suggest we do? Ask it politely?"

"Not exactly," Nepturus responded, "but I installed that door a few months ago, so give me a second here." He then walked over to the wall next to the door and ripped a panel off of it revealing a series of wires and circuit boards. The others watched as Nepturus inspected the different pieces of electrical equipment in the wall, the whole time muttering to himself in engineering jargon. Finally, just as Tarok was about to give in and just smash the door down, Nepturus snapped his fingers and said, "That'll work, I just have to cross these wires here...run a bypass through here...aaaaaand, you guys might want to take a step back."

Heeding his warning, Mike and Alaia stepped back a couple of steps, though Tarok didn't budge and just rolled his eyes. Turning on his omni-tool, Nepturus brought it close to a set of wires he'd just crossed and sent a large jolt of energy into it, causing a loud mechanical noise to occur from the direction of the door. As soon as he sent the jolt, Nepturus ran back just as the door began to be violently pulled back into the wall with a thud, allowing the debris on the other side to fall through the doorway, covering the stairwell in a cloud of dust.

Unprotected from the dust cloud, Mike, Nepturus and Tarok hacked and coughed as they made their way to the door. Alaia simply walked through the cloud, her environmental suit protecting her from the particles. As the dust began to settle, the group began to hear voices coming from inside the room.

Mike patted Nepturus on the back and said, "Good job, Nep. You'll have to teach me how to do that one of these days." The group made their way past the pile of rubble in front of the door and saw a small group of people in a beam of light created by a large gap in the ceiling, all looking in their direction. Most of them were in fancy apparel, obviously guests at the party, but a couple of them were wearing black combat armor, meaning they were members of Chamberlain's security team. Several of the people, including one of the guards, were injured with one man appearing to have broken both of his legs under a large pile of rubble. The remaining guests were lying on the floor, most likely dead.

Mike stepped up to the group and asked, "Is everyone alright?"

The unharmed guard stepped in front of the crowd, pointing her assault rifle at him, "Who the hell are you? What'd you do to the hotel?"

Instinctively, Mike pulled out his gun and pointed it back, mainly as a form of defense. "Hey, calm down. I'm just as in the dark as you are. We're going to help you, but you've got to put your gun down."

Visibly shaken, the guard refused to comply, "Hell no, I'm not doing anything until you answer my questions, asshole!"

Just then, Tarok, Nepturus and Alaia stepped out of the cloud of dust, Tarok making his way to the guard, who was scared even further by the unexpected krogan. "Back up lizard boy or I swear I'll-" before she could finish, Tarok kicked her in the gut, instantly knocking her back and disarming her. Nepturus and Alaia came in behind them and Nepturus, his military instincts kicking in, picked up the assault rifle and aimed it at the guard.

Tarok proceeded to grab the guard by her throat and lifted her off the ground, bringing her to eye level with him. "I'm only going to ask you once, human: Where's Chamberlain?"

The woman didn't answer, either out of fear or lack of oxygen from Tarok's iron grip. Tarok took out his pistol and put it against her forehead. "Wrong answer."

"W-wait..." The voice had come from the injured guard laying against a table, his head bleeding and one of his arms looking badly bent out of shape. Tarok continued to hold the female guard in the air as Mike walked over to the injured guard and knelt down. Nepturus came in behind him and tried to check the wound, but the guard recoiled a bit.

"Hey, cool it, hate on him if you want, but he's the only guy here who can help you." Mike snapped. The guard didn't like it, but seeing as he was losing blood, he didn't have much choice and allowed Nepturus to look him over. As Nepturus was treating him, Mike turned to the other survivors and told them, "He'll be with any injured in a minute. Just keep calm." He then heard what sounded like more explosions coming from outside, but no quakes, meaning other buildings must be getting hit. "The hell's going on here?"

At this point, Tarok had released the female guard and proceeded to the penthouse on the other side of the ball room to look for Chamberlain. Mike walked back over to the injured guard and asked, "Where's Chamberlain, is he still here?"

Though still somewhat dizzy from the loss of blood, the guard managed to say, "That asshole...left us here...during the first quake. He took off with...some of the other guards...down the emergency tunnel. Then the...the ceiling collapsed and blocked it off. No way we can...we can clear out the debris quickly enough."

Mike looked over to the penthouse, where Tarok was turning over every piece of furniture looking for Chamberlain. Shaking his head, he turned back to the injured guard, "What about Roach? Where'd he slither off to?"

"Roach? You mean...that crazy looking guy with the scraggly beard and ratty old clothes? Chamberlain had me escort him out...told me to put a bullet in him if he tried to sneak back in again."

"Do you know what's happening outside? What's causing this?"

"...Chamberlain...he...he said he saw...something...something from the sky...ran past me...called the other guards...just before the quakes started...I...thought I...saw it too."

"Saw what?"

"It was...big...so...huge...like a damn...battleship...we're all...we're all gonna...gonna..." Before he could finish, the guard passed out, leaving Mike worried. Nepturus walked past Mike and up to the unconscious guard, checking his vitals.

"He's alive. A bit of a concussion, a couple of broken ribs, but otherwise he'll be fine." Nepturus diagnosed.

Mike then asked, "How bad are the others' injuries?"

"Nothing too serious. Those that survived were on the side of the room where the inner ceiling didn't collapse, so the most severe injuries are from smaller bits of debris. This was a massacre."

"How many people were in here?"

"About 129 people, of which only 35 are accounted for, and that includes the confirmed casualties."

"Damn. I hope Alaia's okay, she's probably never seen anything like this before."

A gasp from several feet away caught Mike's attention. Looking over to the source, he saw Alaia bent over one of the several bodies lying around the ball room under rubble from the inner ceiling. He walked over to her and upon seeing the body knew why she reacted that way: the body was that of Alfonso Lore, the man she'd traveled so far and risked so much hoping to meet. Alaia had her hands on her shoulders, trying desperately to hold back tears. Mike put his hand on her shoulder and said, "I'm sorry."

All Alaia did was nod her head, sniffle a bit and say, "The worst part of it...look." She pointed to the right side of his dress shirt, where a metallic pin was situated. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the pin was in the shape of the Humanity First insignia.

_You...a xenophobe? I knew you were uncomfortable around Narala and her crew, but I never figured you for the type, Alfy. Oh man... _Looking back to Alaia, he lowered his head and said, "Alaia, if I had known that he was...like that, I never would have gotten your hopes up."

"I know," Alaia said, still holding back tears, "it's just, I risked so much coming here. I wasted all the money I was given for my pilgrimage, I embarrassed my parents, I nearly got myself arrested coming here...all just to find out my artistic idol would have rather shot me than acknowledged me as an artist." At that point, a few sobs managed to escape from her, her stiff upper lip finding it exceedingly difficult to hold them back.

At this point, Nepturus had joined the two over Lore's body, checking for any vitals, finding none. He then put his hand on her back and gave her a small pat. "C'mon Alaia, don't be so hard on yourself. It's not your fault."

"I should have seen the signs. He never painted anyone other than a human. He always refused to go to art openings on non-human planets. Hell, I might have known all along and just didn't want to acknowledge it. I'm such an idiot."

"Hey," Mike answered, "would an idiot have been able to hack one of the most highly secured networks in the galaxy? Or actually yell down a krogan? Trust me Alaia, Alfy here would have missed out on a great opportunity if he turned you down."

Still sniffling, Alaia looked up at Mike and Nepturus and said, "Thanks guys, but that doesn't solve my problem of what I'm going to do once we manage to get out of this terrorist attack or whatever it is."

"I think it's more than a terrorist attack girlie." Tarok suddenly proclaimed.

Mike looked at him quizzically, "What do you mean?"

As cold as a krogan could be considering what he'd just seen, Tarok motioned towards the penthouse widow and said, "You'll have to see it to understand human." Mike, Nepturus and Alaia quickly got up from their positions and ran to the penthouse window. As they got closer, the sounds of expolsions and gunfire got louder and louder, until they reached the window, each person gawking at the sight in front of them. Alaia being the only person capable of uttering a single word.

"Keelah..."

In front of them, sprawled across the entire London skyline, were several gigantic mechanical behemoths resembling Earth squids, each one the size of a skyscraper. Buzzing around them were Alliance vessels attempting to take them down, only to get blasted out of the sky by the giants' red energy beams. Below, the four could hear the sounds of screaming, both human and...inhuman, as well as gunshots and explosions. Smoke billowed from many of the buildings in the background and several buildings had been completely leveled to the ground. A low hum could be heard, seemingly generated by the mechanical monsters.

"No...not again." Nepturus said, breaking the silence among the four.

Though still dazed at the sight before him, Mike managed to turn to Nepturus and say, "Again? Wait, you've seen these things before?"

"One of them attacked the Citadel that day, the day when...when I..." Nepturus was at a loss for words, he'd never expected to see another 'Sovereign' again. Flashes of his lost life, his lost love, began repeating in his mind.

Noticing Nepturus' panic, he grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him, "NEP! You've gotta focus Nep. The game's just changed here, so we need to keep cool."

Snapping out of his trance for a second, he nodded his head in acknowledgment began to focus his thoughts until they all centered on Sam. "SAM! Oh spirits, she's still down there, we've got to find her!"

"First we need to get these people to safety! There's got to be some kind of evacuation plan going on." Alaia spurted out, her omni-tool now scanning for military chatter.

"You do what you want, all I care about is Chamberlain." Tarok said calmly, the battle outside barely phasing him.

Mike stopped him as he was about to walk away, "Hey woah woah woah, you can't be serious!"

"Get out of my way human!"

"You can't seriously be thinking about risking your life in this mess just to kill some rich asshole. We have to get off this planet!"

"I'm not leaving until I've killed him, so good luck escaping the end of your planet." Just as Tarok was turning to leave, Alaia stepped in front of him and blocking the penthouse doorway, causing Tarok to lose his patience. "Quarian, I admire your courage, but I WILL go through you if I have to."

Alaia said nothing, she just assumed a cocky stance and stepped out of the way. "Ok, goodbye then."

Tarok raised his brow at this course of action, _This is too easy...far too easy. _Not wasting the opportunity, however, he walked past her.

"Good luck finding Chamberlain...without me..."

_I knew it. _"What are you chirping about girlie?"

"Well, I just realized that I could look up Chamberlain's transport's E-ID, which I did, and use it to lock on to it's transponder signal, which I could..."

"Quarian..."

"I'm just saying...it'd make your life a lot easier. It'd save you a lot of time in a war zone. But if you'd rather we just part ways..." Alaia's smugness had reached new heights.

Undeterred, Tarok walked up to Alaia and made his superior size known. "You know I could just force you to help me find him, right?"

"You could, but would you really be willing to hurt me?" Alaia responded, striking her pouty pose again, knowingly mocking him.

Tarok stood there in silence, thinking. _She has more of a quad than most krogans I know, that one. Hm, I have to admit, it would make things easier, but it would also mean putting up with them for longer. Also, with this war going on out there, I'd probably do better on my own, but then again, 'He who fights the many as one will become many tiny bits of varren droppings', as Glovent used to say. _After a few seconds of thinking, the krogan veteran sighed, looked back at Alaia and said, "I'm warning you right now, if you're playing me for a fool I will crush you under my boot. We clear?"

Alaia, with a cocky face on behind her mask replied, "Perfectly, glad we could come to an understanding." With that, she sauntered off, giving Mike and Nepturus the 'Yep, I'm awesome' wink.

Tarok rubbed his eyes and looked over at Mike and Nepturus. "Well, are we gonna play heroes or stand here and watch the world burn?" He then followed Alaia out of the penthouse, leaving Mike and Nepturus to ponder.

Mike shook his head and said, "She's good."

"C'mon, we need to get these people out of here and find Sam. She may be hurt!" Nepturus stated urgently, running after Alaia and Tarok.

Mike started after them, stopping only for a second to look back out at the scene unfolding in the distance. _Thanks dad, even when you're dead, you find a way to screw me over._ He then turned and hurried out the penthouse door, leaving the sounds of the battle behind him.


	8. Chapter 4: The Face of the Enemy

Chapter 4: The Face of the Enemy

"Okay people, listen up! We're going down to the cab station at the 25th floor. That's where they'll be evacuating people. Everyone stay close and don't fall behind." Mike instructed to the surviving party guests. The numerous humans nodded their heads in agreement as they helped the injured up to their feet. Mike pulled out his pistol and checked it thoroughly to ensure it didn't jam when he needed it and stuck it back in his jacket. To his left, he could hear Nepturus attempting to get into contact with Sam, who hadn't answered his calls for the last few minutes, visibly worrying him. To his right, he saw Alaia tapping some commands into her omni-tool, obviously attempting to get some sort of signal from the outside, only to be jammed by some unknown force. Mike turned around to see Tarok checking his own pistol, which Mike admitted looked nothing like any pistol he'd ever seen. Tarok looked up from his maintenance work and stared at Mike, making him uneasy and convincing him to turn back around.

"Sam? C'mon Sam answer me! Dammit, why won't she answer me?" Nepturus yelled in frustration as he slammed his fist into the table next to him. Everyone turned their heads to look at him, forcing him to turn his back to everyone out of embarrassment. Alaia looked over to Mike as she walked past him and towards Nepturus, while Tarok simply shook his head and rolled his eyes in his usual manner.

Alaia glanced at Nepturus' omni-tool readout as she asked, "No luck on your end?"

Nepturus groaned, "Ugh, no. I don't understand it, it's like I'm being jammed, but I can't figure out how. However those things are doing it, they're using a encrypted signal more powerful and complex than anything I've never seen before. I've tried every damn trick I know to get past it, but I can't even touch it!"

"Yeah, same here. I managed to figure out that they're using a 20,355 bit encryption key, way beyond anything even the geth have accomplished."

"How'd you manage to-"

"I'm a quarian, that's how." She said with a cocky tone, half trying to cheer Nepturus up.

Nepturus chuckled slightly, but quickly went back to worrying, "I managed to get a signal through earlier. Why can't I now?"

Mike walked up to the two and said, "Maybe we were in some sort of jammer blind spot. Maybe if we go back to that spot, we could get a signal through."

Nepturus looked quizzical, "Maybe, but we're not going to learn anything here, let's get going before the whole roof collapses on us." He then grabbed the assault rifle he'd picked up from the guard and inspected it.

Mike then realized that he, Nepturus, and Tarok were all armed, but Alaia wasn't. Seeing that the injured guard had a pistol at his side, he took it off of him, knowing he wouldn't be able to use it anyway. He then walked up to Alaia and offered the gun to her, "You feel comfortable having this? Who knows what we may run into out there?" Alaia took the pistol from him, checked the ammo clip, clicked the safety switch and stuck it on a holder on her side. Mike whistled, impressed at her knowledge.

"What? You thought the Migrant Fleet would send me out on my own in the galaxy without teaching me how to work a gun?"

"I guess not. However, you turned the safety on, not off."

"Huh?" Alaia grabbed the pistol off of her side and looked at the safety, confirming that she'd turned it on. "Oh. Well, heh, I didn't really pay attention to that part of training. I...don't really like guns."

"Well, if you don't want to carry it-"

"No, no, I'll be okay. Hopefully I won't need it."

"We can only hope. C'mon, we need to get moving."

Alaia nodded and put her gun back to her side, nervously rubbing her hands together afterward. Mike looked over to where Tarok was and called out to him, "Hey Tarok! You ready to head out?"

Tarok looked up and started walking towards the group. "I've been waiting for you idiots to get ready for the last 10 minutes. Let's get out of here already."

Mike rolled his eyes after Tarok walked past him and headed for the front of the small group of survivors. "Ok everyone, let's go. Start down the stairs calmly and don't rush. If one person trips, we're going to have a human avalanche on our hands. Since I'm going to be up front, I'd rather not be squished." The joke brought a few chuckles and smiles, helping the survivors to get up and start moving. A couple of guests made a makeshift stretcher out of one of the table tops and put the injured guard on it, carrying him near the back of the group. The other guard stuck near the side of the group with her pistol. She still stared suspiciously at Tarok, who only needed to glare at her to force her to avert her gaze nervously. Alaia, Mike, Nepturus, and Tarok took the point ahead of the party guests as they started heading down the stairs.

35Th floor, Stairs

As the group reached the 35th floor, Mike noticed a thin cloud of dust at the bottom of the flight they were on, "Hold on a sec!", he called to the guests as he and Nepturus approached the dust cloud slowly, guns drawn. Upon entering the cloud, Mike saw what caused the cloud: a large wall of debris was blocking the stair case beyond that point.

"Oh great. It's blocked!" Nepturus observed in frustration, lowering his weapon.

"It's alright, we'll just go into the hallway and find another stair case. There's gotta be a lot in this building, right?"

"Yeah, but we need to hurry. If the stairs are starting to collapse, then that means the building is more unstable than we thought."

Mike nodded in agreement and the two started back up the stairs, Alaia waiting for them on the top of the flight. "What's wrong?"

"The stairs are blocked down there, we need to find another stairwell." Mike answered, the surviving guests groaning in defeat.

"Are you kidding me? Can't you just move whatever's blocking it?" One of the guests snobbishly asked Tarok.

Tarok descended the two steps to where the snob was standing, the other survivors backing away from him as he did, and looked the human straight in the eye, "Listen and listen well human. I am not your butler, I am not your servant, and I am not a bulldozer. So if you talk to me like that again, I might consider battering down that debris...with your skull." The human just stood there in dead silence, visibly shaken by the krogan warrior.

"Enough guys. C'mon, the door to the hallway is right here." Alaia stepped in, talking mainly to Tarok, who backed off from the human.

Mike walked up to the door, immediately realizing it was not working. "Oh good, this door's not working either."

Nepturus turned on his omni-tool and said, "Give me a second, I just need to access the hotel's electrical grid so I can-"

**SLAM**

**THUD**

Tarok had decided to simply slam his fist into the weak door, tearing it out of the doorway and sending it flying across the hall into the adjacent wall. Tarok groaned and walked through the doorway first.

"-or that works too." Nepturus finished, turning off his omni-tool.

Alaia and Mike chuckled to themselves and started ushering the guests through into the hallway one-by-one. When the guests who were carrying the injured guard got to the doorway, Mike asked them, "How's he doing?"

One of them, a middle-aged man, answered, "I don't know. I'm no doctor, but I can tell that he's breathing, so that's something."

Mike nodded and let them through, checking the stairwell once more before rejoining the group. The hallway was still intact, but several of the lights were flickering while several others were out all together. An eerie silence filled the hall as the group moved forward, looking into rooms where the doors were left open, most likely by panicking hotel guests.

Just as the group was walking down the hall, a chime broke the silence, startling everyone. Knowing what it meant, Nepturus hurriedly turned on his omni-tool and said, "Sam? Sam, is that you?"

_"Nep, oh thank God. Where are you? I've been trying to reach you for the last 15 minutes!"_

"We're heading for the 25th floor cab port. That's where they'll more than likely be evacuating people. Are you still in the maintenance room?"

_"Yeah, we were just getting ready to head there too. Nep...do you have any idea what's going on?"_

"Sort of, but I don't have time to explain. We need to get out of the building. You'll probably see for yourself once you reach the cab port."

_"Ok, we're going to leave right now. Be careful, Nep."_

"Alright, you too. Stay safe." Nepturus turned off his omni-tool, relieved that Samantha was still alive.

"Now that the two love birds are done chatting, can we get moving?" Tarok quipped, much to Nepturus' irritation.

"Hey! We're not love birds. We're just friends."

"...uh huh. Whatever you say turian. As long as it gets you moving, I could care less."

Just as Nepturus was about rebuke Tarok again, he saw Mike stop ahead of them at the end of the hall, looking down the corner. "Hold up guys. Look up there."

Mike pointed down the hall where, partially hidden in the shadows, was a humanoid shape turned away from the group and hunched over. Even though the group could barely see it, they could tell that the figure appeared to be naked, and could hear a tortured moaning, almost like an asthmatic's labored breathing.

Nepturus stepped next to Mike and whispered, "That guy looks like he must've gotten caught in a fire. He's probably scared to death and in pain, so we should be careful not to scare him."

Mike nodded and started walking slowly toward the figure, Nepturus covering him. About halfway to the figure, Mike tried to talk to it. "Hey buddy...you alright? Are you hurt?" ...No response. "Hey, can you hear me? We're not going to hurt you. We just want to help."

Back with the group, Tarok began eying the figure in the dark suspiciously and took out his pistol, aiming down the hall and alarming both Alaia and Nepturus. Alaia whispered, "What are you doing?"

"Something's not right." Tarok answered shortly, keeping his aim trained on the humanoid shape.

Mike was almost close enough to touch the figure, being careful not to startle it. Just before he tried to talk to it again, he saw its head snap up quickly, making him jump back a bit. The heavy, almost mechanical breathing became even louder as the humanoid creature's head slowly turned toward Mike, revealing two glowing, inhuman blue eyes in the darkness. "What the hell?" Mike pulled out his gun and pointed it at the creature's head just as it stood up, allowing its upper torso to be bathed in flickering light above it, allowing Mike to see that it looked eerily human, but had metallic skin, with mechanical extensions going from certain body parts to others, two metal tubes running from its mouth to its neck, and its eyes, which looked more like fluorescent lights that were implanted where its eyes should be. The creature began approaching Mike, who began backing away from the creature slowly until it charged at him clumsily. Reacting on instinct, he pulled the trigger on his pistol, putting a bullet through the creature's chest, splattering oily blue blood from the wound, but only succeeding in staggering it. Undeterred, Mike shot it again, this time in the head, blowing a portion of its jaw off, still not stopping it until he shot it again through the forehead, decimating its head into several pieces and forcing its body to collapse onto the floor.

The group of survivors became very nervous at the creature's appearance, vocalizing their fears to one another as they began scanning every direction in a panic. The uninjured guard, already made nervous by the near death experience in the ball room, was now becoming paranoid after seeing the ghoulish creature attack Mike, pointing her pistol in all directions.

Alaia called out to Mike, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah...yeah, I'm fine. It's down, whatever it is." Mike responded, still looking over the corpse of whatever it was he just killed.

Nepturus' military training kicked in as he checked all directions for more of the creatures. "Everyone keep an eye out. If you see anything suspicious, sound off!" Tarok did the same, making sure to check all his corners for movement.

Alaia, ran up to Mike, who was kneeling above the creature's body, slightly horrified by its appearance. Nervously looking in different directions, she asked Mike, "What is it?"

Mike shook his head, at a loss for an explanation, "I don't know. It looks human, but..." His thought ended there when he heard a scream from one of the women back down the hall.

"THERE! THERE'S MORE OF THEM!" Mike and Alaia rushed back to the group as Nepturus and Tarok looked down the hallway to see what looked like 9 or 10 of the creatures hurrying towards them, their heavy moaning ringing throughout the hall almost like a battle cry. Tarok was the first to open fire, hitting one of the creatures in the stomach, but not slowing down, then Nepturus sent a volley of bullets into the group from his assault rifle, hitting several of them in the chest and two in the head, killing those two instantly.

Mike stepped next to Nepturus and Tarok and began firing at the creatures along with them, managing to shoot one of them in the leg, blowing it off and crippling it. "Aim for the legs! It'll slow them down!" With that, the three of them began firing at the creatures' legs, crippling all but one of them, who flung itself at Mike just as he was reloading, only to have itself blown back by another pistol round to the head, killing it instantly.

Mike looked over at Tarok, who shook his head and began executing the crippled creatures with Nepturus as Mike turned around to see Alaia with her pistol raised and a small trail of smoke rising from its barrel. From her body language, he could tell that she'd never actually fired a gun before, at least not with the intent to kill, so it obviously disturbed her. Looking back to where the creatures once stood, he was relieved to see that Tarok and Nepturus had finished them off and approached Alaia. "You alright?" He asked, lowering her weapon for her.

She nodded her head, still shaking slightly. "Y-yeah, I'm fine. It's just...that was the first time I've...you know."

"Yeah, I know. Don't worry about it. If you hadn't shot that thing, it could've killed me."

"I know. Thanks." Alaia put the pistol back at her side, her hand still shaking slightly. Mike smiled and patted her on the shoulder before walking back to the party guests. Alaia turned again to look at the creature whose life she ended, not really feeling remorse for it, since it tried to kill them, but still, the concept of killing something had never truly registered with her until that point.

Tarok and Nepturus finished putting down the crippled creatures and rejoined the others, Tarok saying to Alaia, "First time, quarian?"

Alaia straightened herself and answered, "Y-yeah. It was."

Tarok looked over to her kill, then back to her, "Hmm, not bad. A clean shot straight through the head. You're a natural."

Even though she was initially surprised that Tarok had complimented her, the thought of her being a natural killer terrified her. As Tarok walked past her, Nepturus put a hand on her shoulder. "Just tell me one thing: Did it feel good to kill that thing?"

Shocked at his question, she quickly answered, "No. No it didn't."

"Good, just make sure it stays that way and you'll be fine. Okay?"

Alaia smiled and nodded her head, turning with Nepturus to go back to the group.

"Okay, everyone calm down," Mike pleaded, "the game's changed now, so everyone needs to stay cool and stay alert. Like Nep said, if you see anything move, call out. Better safe than sorry. I think I saw another stairwell entrance down the hall, let's move it!" The group cautiously proceeded down the hall, most recoiling from the sight of the creature Mike had killed earlier.

When the female guard passed by the body, she nearly snapped with fear. "That's it, that's it, it's over. We're next, we're next!"

Nepturus turned to the woman and said, "Hey, calm down. Panicking won't help."

"DON'T YOU IDIOTS SEE? That was us...that WILL BE US! That's how they do it! Can't you see? They abduct us and turn us into their slaves! No way, not me! I'm not going out like that!" The woman babbled as she began putting her pistol up to her temple.

Nepturus immediately put out his hands. "Woah woah woah woah, hey, just put the gun down. You don't need to do that."

Mike also started going into negotiation mode as all the other survivors backed away from the woman, afraid that she would turn the gun on them next. "He's right, that won't solve anything. Just give me the gun."

"NO GODDAMN WAY! You'd like me to give you the gun wouldn't you? That's been your plan all along, hasn't it? Take my gun from me and then shoot me with it when my back was turned!"

"C'mon now, we're just trying to help. Just put the gun down and think about what you're doing." Nepturus said in a calm tone.

Tarok now approached the woman, pulling out his pistol, "I don't have time for this. Move it turian."

This was enough to get the woman to turn the gun away from herself, but now the gun was on Nepturus. "ONE MORE STEP AND I'LL BLOW THE CRICKET'S HEAD OFF!"

"Human, you need to pick better hostages. Go ahead and shoot him, I don't even like him. It'll just give me enough time to kill you three times over."

Alaia stepped in front of Tarok, blocking his shot, "Tarok, cool it!"

"Quarian, we're wasting time with this human, she's obviously lost it. Now get out of the way before I-"

**"ENOUGH!"**

Everyone in the hall went silent as the yell echoed through the hall. They turned their heads to see Mike, who had a dead serious look on his face. He took a deep breath, and exhaled, calming himself down. "Look, this is difficult for all of us, but we are not going down this road, do you hear me? We are not going to start threatening each other like this. We need to focus on staying alive." He then walked up to Tarok, staring him in the eye, "You're not helping the situation. You want to find Chamberlain more quickly? Then don't drag out confrontations like this. So put the gun down, and let me handle this. Okay?"

Tarok was tempted to just shoot them all and go about finding his quarry on his own, but knew that the creatures they'd run into had changed the game even more than the massive machines attacking the planet, so, as much as he hated to admit it, he may need help. Reluctantly, he lowered his gun and groaned.

"Thank you." Mike said, then turning his attention to the guard, who was still pointing her gun at Nepturus. "Hey, what's your name?" This question caught her off guard, but she still maintained her aim on Nepturus. "C'mon, we're all friends here, just tell me your name."

"...Amanda. Amanda Kelson."

"Okay Amanda, nobody here wants to hurt you. If we did, we would've done it already. Hell, we talked Tarok out of beating the crap out of you back on the top floor. We need to keep ourselves calm here, so just lower your gun, and we can you on the first shuttle off the planet. Alright?"

"I...I don't know...why should I trust you?"

"Because if you don't, we may all die up here. I'm sure none of us want that, so just cool your jets and lower your gun."

Amanda considered her actions over the last minute and mentally smacked herself, "You're right. I'm sorry, I'm just...it's all just...too much y'know." Finally, she lowered her pistol and holstered it.

"It's alright, we're all a little jumpy. Alright people, everything is cool now, so let's-" Before he could finish, Mike was interrupted by the sounds of many, low moans piercing the hall from the darkness. "Oh crap, everyone in the stairwell, now!"

With Nepturus and Tarok covering from both sides, the survivors began herding into the stairwell. Just as the last of the survivors went through the doorway, Tarok spotted movement at the end of the hall, "Movement!" He opened fire, hitting several of the creatures in the legs as Nepturus joined him and took out several more with headshots. However, this time, they noticed the creatures weren't slowing their advance and realized that there were more than last time...a lot more. They soon found themselves facing several dozen creatures, all barreling down the hall toward them. They continued firing at the herd of monsters, only to find that for every creature they killed, 3 would replace them.

"Guys, c'mon! There are too many of them! Hurry up!" Mike called out with haste. Taking his advice, the two gunmen turned and ran through the door, letting the door close behind them, only for the door to be blocked by one of the creature's arms. Realizing how disastrous this could be, Nepturus unloaded a full clip into its arm, effectively severing it just before the horde behind it could get a hold of the door. Nepturus hastily punched some commands into his omni-tool, a loud whirring sound being heard from inside the door frame.

"I managed to put the pressure on the door pistons to maximum, that should slow them down!" Just as he said that, the door started bending and warping as loud banging sounds echoed through the stairwell. "But not for long, let's move!"

The survivors hurried down the stairs at risky speeds, everyone being careful to watch their feet and resist the urge to look back to see if the creatures were close behind. Just as they passed the 30th floor, the sound of the door above them being smashed down made their hearts jump up into their throats. Mike stayed to the side as the group passed the 29th floor, checking for stragglers, and sure enough he noticed that the two survivors carrying the injured guard were not to be seen. "Guys, keep going, I'm going back for the guys with the stretcher!" Mike yelled over the panicking survivors.

Alaia then pushed through the crowd, "Not without me you're not!"

"Alaia-"

"No time to argue, we've got to help them!"

Unable to argue, Mike just turned around and started running up the stairs, Alaia not far behind. Back at the 31st floor, Mike saw that the two survivors had abandoned the injured guard to save themselves. "Bastards! C'mon, help me with him!" Alaia grabbed the foot end of the stretcher as Mike took the head and began descending the stairs, all the time hearing the sounds of dozens of footfalls getting closer above them. Just as Mike was sure that they were going to catch up to them, he saw Amanda standing at the foot of the 29th floor flight.

"Quick, get him down there, I'll hold them off!" She screamed, pulling out her pistol.

"Are you crazy? They'll tear you apart!" Alaia yelled in protest.

"Please...he's my little brother! He's my responsibility and it's my decision, so GO!" With that, she ran past them, turning to the next stair well to see the silhouettes of the horde of creatures facing her from the top of the stairs. Without hesitation, she opened fire on the horde as Mike and Alaia reluctantly started down the stairs again, being careful not to drop Amanda's brother.

"We need to go back and help her!" Alaia screamed.

"It's her decision Alaia, we have to respect it! Just keep moving!"

Amanda was on fire. She had taken out at least ten of them, the creatures being forced to climb over a mound of their dead brethren to get to the woman firing her pistol wildly at the foot of the stairs. Just as she thought she might be able to head back down, she heard the dreaded click of her pistol, signaling she was out of ammo. "Oh no." She whispered as she fumbled into her pocket for more thermal clips, grabbing one just as she pulled her head back up to see the horde a mere arms length away from her. She shut her eyes.

26th floor

Alaia and Mike caught up to the group, Nepturus and Tarok now covering both sides of the group as they approached the door to the 25th floor. Two of the survivors saw Alaia and Mike carrying the injured guard. "Here, let us take him. You just focus on killing those things once they get here."

"Thanks." Mike said. "Be careful and get moving." They then handed the stretcher over to the two men, Alaia immediately turning to head back up the stairs. "What're you doing?"

"We have to go back, she needs our-" Her sentence was stopped as a piercing scream traveled from above them, starting as screams of pain but quickly switching to the unmistakable sound of bones breaking and someone choking on their own blood. Alaia froze, her heart dropping at the horrific images the sounds had forced upon her mind as Mike grabbed her shoulders.

"There's nothing we can do! C'mon, we have to go!" He insisted, pulling Alaia towards the stairs to the 25th floor as Alaia took one last look up the stairs before heading down on her own.

They saw Nepturus and Tarok herding the last few survivors through the door, being sure to cover them from both sides of the door way. Nepturus was covering the side inside the stairwell when he saw Alaia and Mike heading towards him. "Where's the guard?"

Alaia just shook her head as Mike said, "She managed to hold them back for a while, so she bought us some time. Let's not let it go to waste."

Nepturus nodded his head as the three of them entered the hallway, closing the door behind them and Nepturus powering up the door pistons again. "Ok, the cab port is just down the hall, let's move it!" Nepturus yelled, all the survivors hurrying down the hall.

As they turned the corner, they could already here the horde banging on the door behind them, but didn't bother turning to look, focusing on getting to the cab port. Mike then spotted a welcome sight: armed soldiers guarding the hall leading to the cab port. "Hey! We've got more survivors here! Get moving to the left, they're evacuating people at the cab port!"

Mike stopped at one of the guards, "Thanks guys, be careful though, some creatures have been tailing us for a while, they may break through the door any minute."

"Creatures? What're you-"

"Just trust me! You'll know them when you see them. Don't give them a chance to get any headway." Mike then hurried down the hall with the rest of the survivors, leaving the soldiers confused but alerted.

Mike felt the familiar rush of fresh air hit him as he turned the corner to see the cab port ahead of him, along with one transport loading the survivors onto it as another was taking off. He joined Alaia, Nepturus, and Tarok, who were waiting for the survivors to get on board. Though the battle raging between the Alliance military and the mechanical monsters hadn't reached the hotel yet, the sounds of gunfire and explosions could still be heard in the distance.

Just as the last few survivors were passing them, thanking them profusely as they did, Mike felt a hand grab his arm, looking down to see the injured guard, who had regained consciousness.

"Wh...where's my...my sister? Is she...is she with you guys?" Mike turned his eyes to Alaia, who bowed her head in sadness.

"I'm...sorry. You're sister stayed back to fight off those creatures. She...she didn't make it." Mike's words hit the guard like a bullet, sending his arm down to his side and his eyes closed, despair clearly evident in his weak state. The survivors carrying him took him up to the transport, where several soldiers helped to get him on board.

Mike then turned his attention to Alaia, who was visibly distraught at what she had witnessed. "You okay?"

Alaia turned her head slightly toward him, but then looked back down to the ground. "We...we should have helped her. If we had just-"

"Hey hey hey, listen to me. What she did was her decision. Besides, we couldn't have helped her and saved her brother at the same time, he needed our help the most." Alaia still seemed guilty, but just as Mike was about to try and cheer her up again, Tarok approached her.

"So, the guard didn't make it?" He said in his usual monotone.

Alaia responded, "No, she stopped to fight those things off for us and...we couldn't help her."

"Then she should be celebrated." This statement caught Alaia, Mike, and Nepturus off guard.

"What? But she died for no reason! We should have-"

"She gave her life to save her kin. To a krogan, that's one of the most honorable deaths possible. Don't feel too bad girlie, she's among the honored dead now."

Alaia stared at Tarok in confusion for a second, but began to accept his words, the guilt beginning to lift from her soul. "Thanks Tarok...heh, see?"

"See what?" Tarok asked, returning to his annoyed look.

"I knew you were a softy at heart." She said with a jokingly cocky smile.

"Don't test me quarian. And remember, there's still the matter of you telling me where Chamberlain is. I held up my end of the bargain, time for you to pay up."

"Ok," Alaia said, respecting their agreement, "a deal's a deal."

Just as Alaia was about to give Tarok the information he needed, Nepturus spoke up. "Wait a minute...where's Sam?"

Mike then looked through the crowd of guests getting onto the large transport. "I don't know, what does she look like?" Nepturus then stepped in front of Mike and scanned the crowd himself, his eyes widening when he couldn't see her.

"She's not here. Oh spirits, she's not here!" He said with urgency as he activated his omni-tool and immediately called Samantha. "Sam! Sam, where are you? Dammit Sam, answer me!"

"Nep, calm down." Alaia chimed in, "Maybe she got on the transport that just left."

Just then, static could be heard from Nepturus' omni-tool. _"Nep, we're on the 20__th__ floor heading up. Where are you?"_

"Sam, thank the spirits! We're here at the 25th floor waiting for you. Do you need any help?"

_"No, don't bother. By the time you find us we'll already be most of the way there. We're just about to head back into the stairw- _

_**"Hey, I see a survivor over there, he looks hurt!**__" _

"Sam, what happened?"

_"We see a person in the hall here, he looks like he got caught in a fire. He's staggering around like he's in pain."_

"Oh no...Sam, stay away from it! Don't get near it! Just run!"

_"What're you...oh my God, its eyes..._

_**"Shit! There are more of them, they're charging! RUN!**__"_

"Sam? Sam, what's going on?"

_"They're...they're right behind us! Keep going, don't look back! Oh my- AAAAAHHHHH-" _The transmission cut out there.

"SAM? SAAAM!" Nepturus screamed, begging for an answer. When it didn't come, his arm lost all strength and he let it drop to his side. He just stared blankly at nothing, trying to register in his mind what had just happened. "No...not again...it can't..."

"Nep," Mike said, "I'm sorry man. There's nothing you could have done." Mike's words didn't register with Nepturus, whose hands quickly balled themselves into fists.

"No...I can't let this happen again. I won't let it!" With that, Nepturus grabbed his assault rifle off of his back and started heading back to the hallway, Mike and Alaia running after him.

"Nep, what're you-"

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm going after Sam! I'll be damned if I'm going to let those monsters destroy the only good thing I have left in this galaxy, so don't try and stop me!"

Mike couldn't argue with what he'd said, in fact, he did the opposite. "Alright, then I'm coming with you."

Alaia quickly agreed. "Same here. I'm with you."

Nepturus would have protested, but he knew Sam needed help, so he relented, "Alright...thanks."

"No problem," Alaia responded, "we've gotta stick together, right? C'mon Tarok, let's go!"

Tarok stomped toward the quarian, a look of pure anger in his eyes, "We had a deal quarian! I help you get these worthless moneybags down here and you give me the information I need. Don't even think about going back on it!"

"Forget him!" Nepturus said hurriedly, "We don't need his help!"

Alaia put her hands together pleadingly, "Tarok, I promise you, if you help us this one last time, I'll give you the way to find Chamberlain no matter what else happens." Tarok just glared at the quarian, looking as though he were ready to simply put a gun to her head instead. "Please!"

With that final plea, Tarok groaned loudly, put his hand to his head and said, "This is the last time quarian! Do you hear me? The LAST TIME!"

Alaia nodded her head as Nepturus yelled, "Okay, fine, now that that's settled, let's go! We need to get to Sam NOW!" The group then headed for the hall back to the stairs.

One of the soldiers in the transport noticed them leaving and called out, "What the hell are you idiots doing? We've got limited room left and we gotta go!"

Mike turned quickly and said, "We have to go get some more survivors! Wait for us as long as you can! If we're not back soon, just leave!" With that, the four of them left the cab port and headed for the stairs.

The soldier shook his head after they left, listened to the sounds of the battle raging further out into the city, and thought to himself, _God help 'em._


	9. Chapter 5: The Search for Sam

Chapter 5: The Search for Sam

"C'mon, last I heard from Sam she was with a group of survivors on the 20th floor. That's only five floors down, let's go!" Nepturus said as the four of them ran toward the hallway they entered from.

"Thanks for the math lesson turian, I never would've been able to figure that out." Quipped Tarok, who was keeping up with the other three surprising well despite his misleading size.

"Would you drop the attitude for one minute?" Nepturus replied angrily, "This is serious, we have to find her."

Alaia then jumped in, placing a hand on Nep's shoulder reassuringly, "Don't worry Nep, we will. We're on a winning streak so far. We just need to keep it going."

As they turned the corner to the hallway leading to the stairs, they saw a drastically different sight from what they saw coming in from the stairwell. Now, strewn throughout the hallway, there were dozens of the creature's laying on the ground dead in front of the two soldiers, one of which was injured and holding his stomach. Mike knelt down next to the other soldier, who was tending to his friend's wounds. "He okay?"

"Yeah," the injured soldier replied, "one of those freaks nailed me in the stomach pretty good, but I still managed to take some of them out. They just came barreling out of the stairwell just like you said they would after they tore down the door."

The other soldier looked winded, somewhat nervous, but his military training helped him keep his head. "Yeah, those things are apparently being encountered all over the city. The group we saw here was just the tip of the iceberg. I've gotten reports over the radio about groups of about 50 of these things at once."

"What are they?" Alaia asked, "Some kind of synthetics, like the geth?"

The soldier just shook his head, "I don't know. All I know is my commander keeps calling them 'husks', says he's seen them before on Eden Prime a couple of years back. Other than that, I don't know anything other than they ain't friendly and they're a pain in the ass to kill."

"We don't have time for this, let's go." Nepturus blurted out, clearly in a hurry.

"For once, the turian's right, we need to get moving." Tarok agreed, much to his surprise.

Mike nodded his head, "Alright, stay safe guys, but be sure to be on the transport before it leaves."

As the group left, the injured soldier replied, "Alright...hey wait, where are you guys goin'?"

Alaia answered as she hurried to the stairwell, "We're going back for more people."

"What're you nuts?" the uninjured soldier asked, "There might be hundreds of 'em down there!"

Mike didn't answer him, but just said to the other three, "Optimistic, isn't he?" They then entered the stairwell and started down to the 20th floor, Nepturus taking the point with Alaia, Mike, and Tarok close behind.

Alaia groaned out load, "UGH, it's official. I am now sick of stairs."

"Yeah," Mike replied, "as weird as it might seem, I'm actually missing the elevator about now."

"Is that all humans know how to do? Complain?" Tarok asked with genuine curiosity mixed with sarcasm.

"I'm sorry, what was that Mr. "I wish everyone would shut up"? I didn't quite hear your complaining over mine."

"A krogan doesn't complain human, he makes his annoyances known to those who may not wish to annoy him." Tarok replied in a threatening tone.

"Would you two can it? We've got more important things to be worrying about than who's annoying who." Just as Nepturus said that, the group reached the 21st floor, just one floor above Samantha's last know location. As they headed toward the last flight of stairs to the 20th floor, another large quake shook the building, causing the four survivors to struggle to maintain their footing on the narrow steps. Alaia and Nepturus grabbed the handrails while Mike and Tarok simply braced themselves against the wall to hold themselves up. Just as the quake was dying down, the group could hear a crumbling sound coming from above them, looking up the stairwell to see that one of the upper flights had collapsed, blocking the staircase between the 22nd and 23rd floors.

"Well," Mike observed, "we're not going back that way. Everyone alright?"

Alaia patted some dust off of her arms. "I'm fine. A little more antiqued than I'd like, but otherwise I'm good." Tarok simply growled as he shook a layer of dust and debris off of his head.

"I'm alright," Nepturus sounded off, "now let's keep going. We'll find another way out once we find Sam."

With that, the group kept going down the stairs, smacking dust off of themselves while doing so. They reached the door leading to the 20th floor hallway, with each of them pulling out their guns in preparation for a fight. Luckily, they found that the door was one of the few in the hotel that still worked, so Nepturus took point and opened the door, immediately checking both sides of the hallway for hostiles. When he saw none, he said, "Clear.", and stepped into the hall, the other three behind him.

"Okay," Mike said, "can you tell where she is?"

Nepturus activated his omni-tool and tapped in some commands, hoping to find Samantha's omni-tool signature, only to come up with static. "Dammit! They must have jammed all signals. I can't get a trace on her omni-tool!"

"Assuming it still exists..." Tarok stated, doubtingly.

"Shut up! You don't know she's dead, and I'm not giving up until I see a bo...," Nepturus phased out for a second, his PTSD causing him to choke up. "Until I see evidence to the contrary."

"Alright, we'll split up." Mike suggested, "Two of us will go down each way. Alaia, do you think you can set us up a communication channel that won't be jammed?"

"Hm," Alaia hummed as she thought to herself, "I think so. Give me a sec." She then turned her omni-tool on and tapped some commands into it, turning it from its usual orange to a shade of bright blue. "Ok...there. I managed to set up a uniquely encrypted channel we can use. They won't be able to jam the signal unless they figure out the exact encryption frequency I'm using."

"Alright, cool. I have no idea what you're talking about, but cool." Mike praised. "Ok, Nep and I will go down this way and..." He paused for a second, realizing that Tarok wouldn't like being ordered around. "Tarok, you don't mind heading down the other way with Alaia, do you?"

Tarok threw a glance at Alaia, who was standing with her hands clasped behind her and leaning forward slightly, without a doubt putting on her best "cute" face behind her mask. With his usual irritated sigh, he replied, "Fine, I'll keep the girl safe."

Alaia then put her hands to her hips in mock offense, "Hey, what makes you think I need protection?"

"Well," Tarok said, "if you'd rather be alone in the monster infested hallways, I won't stop you." He'd never admit it, but a small smirk formed on the side of his face as he turned away from the quarian, the other side being his usual, indifferent expression.

"Point taken." Alaia responded, though only as a concession to Tarok.

"Alright then, let's hurry." Nepturus hastily requested, "If you find Sam, call out."

The two teams then went down their respective hallways, flashlights on to illuminate the darkened areas where the lights had dimmed or gone out completely. Alaia and Tarok walked at a slow pace, Alaia being sure to check every corner while Tarok kept his pistol ready to fire at a moment's notice. Alaia had to admit, though she wasn't some scared little girl who needed someone to comfort her, the situation was still making her nervous. To alleviate some of the stress, she tried to spark a conversation with her krogan 'partner'. "So...I see you don't like Nep that much. Or Mike for that matter."

"I've got no real problem with the human, other than the fact that he doesn't know when to shut up. The turian's a different story."

"Oh yeah? Why do you hate him so much?"

"You know exactly why I hate him, quarian. His people neutered mine, inflicting the genophage on us for trying to do what any other species in our position would have done: expand."

"I read on the flotilla that the genophage was created to stop the krogan from taking over the galaxy during the Krogan Rebellions."

"That's only half the story, girlie. Sure, there were krogan clans that were trying to expand past our alotted space, but that was only a few clans. The rest of the clans were simply taking back colony worlds that were theirs to begin with."

"I thought those planets had already been claimed."

"It doesn't matter if some idiot turian or asari or whatever the hell stuck a flag in the dirt and said 'This place is mine now'. Those worlds were in our space, so they belonged to us; and we needed them."

"The vids mentioned that there was a population problem back then."

"That, combined with the fact that certain areas of the planet were still irradiated from the wars waged centuries earlier and thus were inhospitable. We were running out of land and needed worlds to unload the burden from Tuchanka, but the few they granted us after the Rachni Wars didn't cover it, and when we asked for more, they refused."

"So you decided to take what you felt was yours."

"Right. Though, in retrospect, if those idiot krogan clans hadn't decided to try and expand outside of our space, we may have just gotten our worlds back and have been done with it, but that's still no excuse for what they did to us." Rage was now clear in his tone, a fact that Alaia took to heart.

"But still, why are you mad at Nep? He didn't make the genophage."

"His people are unanimous in their belief that what they did was right, that makes them all as bad as the ones that plagued us those centuries ago."

"I'm sorry, Tarok. I didn't mean to upset you."

"The fact that you're curious and open to the truth doesn't upset me. In fact, it's a breath of fresh air, for a change."

"Awww," Alaia's cockiness was returning to her, "so you DO like me!"

Tarok groaned to himself before saying, "Let's just put it this way: of the three of you, you annoy me the least. Try and keep it that way."

"I can do that. Speaking of the others, I'd better check in with them." She then switched on her omni-tool and opened the comm channel. "Mike, Nep, you there?"

_"Mike here. You guys okay over there?"_

"Yeah, we're fine. We haven't found anybody yet, we're still searching. It's dark through this hallway, so it could take a while, how about on your end?"

_"About the same. We found a couple of puddles of blood here, but no bodies. Keep sharp, those things could be anywhere."_

"Okay, we'll keep in touch."

"Alright, stay safe." Mike then turned off his omni-tool and knelt beside Nepturus, who was inspecting the blood puddles they'd found. "Any way of knowing whose it is?"

Nepturus just shook his head, a cloud of dread forming around him. "No, my omni-tool isn't designed to analyze DNA samples. We've got to find her, I can't do this again."

"Again?" Mike asked, his eyebrow raising from the statement. "What're you talking about?"

Nepturus hesitated for a second, not wanting to reveal the whole truth. "I...saw things when I was in the military, bad things. I lost some people that I held dear, and it's affected me in more ways than one. So I refuse to let what happened to them happen to Sam." He then got up from his inspection of the blood and turned his flashlight back to the hallway.

Mike knew Nepturus was hiding something, but he could tell that it was deeply personal, whatever it was, and decided to drop it. "Alright then, let's keep looking." The two kept moving down the hallway, checking inside any rooms for signs of life, but finding none.

After a while, Nepturus decided to break the awkward silence that permeated the hallway, as well as to help clear his head of the worry he was feeling. "So...enjoying your vacation yet?" He joked.

Mike let out a chuckle and replied, "Oh yeah, a wonderful excursion. One of the many 'great' gifts bestowed upon me by my dad." A hint of disdain was mixed in with the sarcasm of his remark.

"I took it from your remark in the elevator that you didn't like your father very much. What happened to make you hate him so much?"

"Heh, it's a long story, but to keep it short: My dad lied to my mom and I for years, saying he was doing one thing when he was really doing something else. I found out about it, confronted him, things were said and boom, we don't speak to each other for 10 years."

"Something tells me that's not the whole story."

"I could say the same thing about what you told me about your friends in the military."

"Touche. Sorry about that, just trying to break silence, you know?"

"Don't sweat it, at least you're not as nosy about it as Narala."

"Oh? Who's Narala? Your wife? Girlfriend?"

"NO, no no no, nothing like that. She's my boss."

The urgency of Mike's answer left doubt in Nepturus' mind, but he left it at that. "Oh yeah? What do you do exactly?"

"I'm the head of security for her archaeological group, Eses Ventures. And before you ask, the name comes from an old, dead asari religion; Eses is the name of its goddess of discovery."

"I didn't take you for being interested in ancient asari religions."

"I'm not really, it's just that Narala tells everyone she meets about it, she's kind of a nut like that." Mike unknowingly grew a small grin from the remark, which Nepturus noticed.

"Oh yeah, you a fan of the nutty ones?"

"Well, I'll admit, she's very attractive for a person of the...very female persuasion." Mike took a second to contain a burst of laughter that nearly escaped him. "But, I can tell she's not interested. She's more of the 'married to her work' type. I've never even heard her mention any past relationships. For all I know, she's non-sexual."

"I hear you," Nep said between chuckles, "it's really frustrating when you like a woman, but she's just out of your reach in one way or another."

"Don't worry man, we're gonna find her. You just need to have faith."

"You'll excuse me if I don't really have faith in Tarok. I don't trust that asshole as far as I can throw him."

"I don't know, if you and I really try our hardest, we could probably chuck him about-" Mike stopped mid-sentence when he turned the corner and looked down the next hallway.

When Mike didn't finish his joke, Nepturus turned to ask him why, but got his answer when he saw what Mike saw: a hallway filled with bodies; human bodies. Some were simply beaten to death, while others looked as though they'd been torn limb from limb, while still other had been burned somehow. The sight of the pools of blood and smell of burning hair and flesh was enough to make both Mike and Nepturus nearly vomit, but Nepturus then had a terrifying thought. "Sam..." He then made his way to the bloodbath, checking every body to see if she was there, praying to the spirits that she wasn't.

Mike was still at a loss for words. He'd seen death before, but never that brutal or in that many numbers. As he wiped the sweat from his brow, he thought to call Alaia and Tarok. Turning on his omni-tool, he called out, "Alaia...Tarok, you guys there?"

_"We're here Mike, have you found anything?" _Alaia answered.

"...yeah, you could say that."

_"What do you mean?"_

"I think we found Sam's group. Head back down our side and...just brace yourselves, okay?"

_"Uh...okay. We'll be there in a minute."_

After the channel was closed, Mike began hoping that Alaia was strong enough to handle this. He'd seen her reaction when she heard the guard being killed in the stairwell, but he knew he couldn't dissuade her from helping them search for Samantha, so he could only hope the sight wouldn't scar her too badly. As he contemplated this, he looked back down the hallway to see Nepturus still looking through the bodies, of which there about 13. When he'd checked the one furthest down the hall, he froze. Though Mike couldn't see the look on his face, he could guess that he didn't really have one, just a look of pure shock. As Mike approached the body, he could see that it was one of the few that were burned to the point of being unrecognizable, with all its facial features being burned down to the bone, but he could still see that it belonged to a woman. Mike then saw that Nepturus was staring at what little hair the woman had left; a clump of red hair that remained on the right side of her head.

"Red hair...Sam..."

"Oh no..." Was all Mike could say as Nepturus slowly fell to his knees beside the remains. Just as he did so, Mike could hear footsteps behind them, turning around to see Alaia and Tarok turning the corner. Alaia stopped dead in her tracks, staring out into the hallway. Tarok looked indifferent, obviously having lived through battles that made the sight in the hall look like nothing. Though Alaia definitely wasn't keen on staying near the site, she saw that Nepturus was on his knees with his head hung low. As she and Tarok approached him, she turned to Mike, who just nodded his head in acknowledgment.

With all the strength she could muster, she forced herself to step over the bodies in front of her and up to Nepturus, kneeling down next to him and placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry Nep."

Nepturus just sat there, staring at the charred remains and contemplating all the things he'd wanted to say, but would now never get the chance to. At this point, Mike was expecting Tarok to insist on getting a move on, but as he looked at the krogan, he saw that he simply stood there, with a look not of frustration, but of a sort of understanding. Just as the silence had reached its peak, Nepturus raised his head up and stared at the ceiling. "...why? That's all I want to know...why? Why do this to me?...You took my life from me once...then you give me hope for a new one...and now you TAKE IT AWAY AGAIN! WHY? ANSWER ME DAMMIT!"

When no answer was given, Nepturus simply knelt back down, staring at nothing. Mike walked alongside Nepturus, Alaia on the other side, visibly distraught by everything going on, and said, "Nep...c'mon, we have to go."

Nepturus didn't move, he didn't even acknowledge the fact that Mike was there, he just sat there, staring into nothingness, fully intent on just being there forever.

"Nep..." His eyes shot open and his head shot up in an instant. He looked up to Mike, who was looking in the direction of the sound, as were Alaia and Tarok. It had come from down the hall, it was faint, but he could have sworn...

"Sam...SAM!" He shot up like a spring, running down the hall screaming Sam's name in front again and again. The others followed behind shortly afterward, both Alaia and Mike shouting Sam's name while Tarok simply helped them search.

"SAM! Where are you? Answer me!"

"...nep...in here!"

Though the voice was faint, he could tell that it was coming from a door just a few feet away from him. He ran up to it and put his ear to the door. "SAM! SAM, IS THAT YOU?"

"Nep? The door's jammed, get me out, please!"

Acting like a man possessed, Nepturus activated his omni-tool and punched in some commands frantically, attempting to open the door. It was evident from the door that the husks had attempted to bust the door down, there being many fist sized dents in the door. As the others joined him, he grabbed onto the door and pulled on it furiously, trying to help it open. He then looked to the others and said, "Give me a hand with this!". Mike and Alaia then grabbed the door as well, with Tarok sitting back to watch the show. Slowly but surely, the door finally slid open, revealing a cut and bruised, but very much alive Samantha on the other side.

"Nep! Oh thank God!" Samantha blurted out as she jumped into Nepturus' arms, hugging him for all she was worth.

"You're safe, Sam. I'm here." Nepturus rubbed the back of her head with one hand as he patted her back with the other. For the first time in the last year and a half that he'd known her, she cried, letting loose a torrent of tears on his shoulder.

After about a minute, she finally managed to pull herself away from him and gave him a playful smack on the shoulder as she sniffled, "Hey...don't start thinking you can treat me like I'm some...damsel in distress. Remember, heh, I could still kick your ass anytime."

Nepturus laughed, half from her joke and half from the elation he felt at finding her alive. "I'm sure you could Sam. Oh spirits, I'm just so glad you're alright."

As Sam rubbed the last of her tears from her eyes, she finally noticed Alaia, Mike, and Tarok standing next to them, Alaia and Mike with obvious smiles on their faces while Tarok simply rolled his eyes at them. "Um, who're your friends?"

"Huh?" Nepturus said, snapping out of his trance, "Oh, uh yeah, these people helped me survive long enough to find you. This is Alaia, Mike...oh and Tarok, yeah."

Sam shook everyone's hands as they were introduced, except for Tarok, who just stared at her. After a second of awkward silence, Samantha shook her head and looked back to Nepturus, "What the HELL is going on out there? One minute, I'm in a maintenance shaft trying to fix that damn elevator, when the next thing I know a huge explosion rocks the whole building! I ended up in a maintenance room with about a dozen other people. Then, as if that's not enough, we get attacked by some sort of...monsters on the way here!"

"Why'd they stop attacking you? I mean, they could have easily torn the door down to get you." Mike asked.

"They could have," Sam responded, "if I hadn't commanded the door to run some electrical current through itself for a few minutes. That scared them off after a while, but I couldn't keep it up for long. What are those things anyway?

"We're not really sure ourselves," Alaia answered, "we got a look outside, the city's being attacked by some kind of giant machines. Those creatures you ran into are most likely with them."

"But why?" Sam asked, realizing that all the other survivors didn't make it. "Why are they doing this?"

Mike shook his head, "It doesn't matter. What matters is that we got off this rock alive. They've got a transport waiting for us on the 25th floor, but we don't know how long they can stay there. We need to book it if we're going to get up there in time." All the others agreed, but as they turned to head back down the hall, stepping over the bodies of the dead guests as they did, Alaia caught the sound of deep, labored breathing from behind her, recognizing it immediately.

"Guys, behind us!" Everyone swung around, guns drawn to see a huge group of husks exiting the stairwell and barreling towards them. All but Samantha opened fire on the husks, aiming for their heads and legs trying to disable them. But, like earlier, they found that there were too many of them, and that they were not swimming in thermal clips.

"Everyone back down the hall, move!" Mike shouted as the survivors turned and sprinted down the hall at full speed, the husks pursuing. Nepturus kept Sam in front of him as he and Tarok continued firing on the horde behind them as they ran, disabling a few of them but still barely leaving a dent in their ranks.

As they turned the corner, Mike could barely make out the door to the stairwell just ahead of them. "Nep! Get ready to do your stuff! We're gonna need that door slammed shut as soon as we're in the stairwell!"

"Got it!" Nepturus responded as he abandoned firing on the husks in favor of conserving ammo. As the group came closer to the door, it felt like the husks were getting closer to them as well, inspiring them to run faster. Nepturus activated his omni-tool, readying it for the task of slamming the door shut as he turned for a second to see the horde close in on them.

Mike was the first in the door, followed by Tarok, Alaia, Sam, and finally Nepturus, who slid in the door as he was punching in the commands to slam it shut on the husks. As he finished entering the codes, one husk managed to jump in the doorway just as the door slam shut, reaching out for the group futilely until the pressure from the overloaded pistons caused the door to cut the husk from its left shoulder to its right side. As its viscous, dark blue blood oozed from its remains, Sam just sat there and stared at it in shock until Nepturus shook her out of it. "C'mon Sam, we have to move. That won't hold them for long!"

The group started running back up the stairs, already starting to hear the horde begin to tear down the door. As they made it up to the 22nd floor, they remembered the collapse earlier that was now blocking their exit. "Oh Keelah, now what?" Alaia shouted.

Samantha looked around for a second, then said, "Just go onto the 22nd floor, I have an idea!"

The others went along with her plan and ran up to the door, finding that it had no power at all. "Oh crap, Tarok, can you get this?" As if he was psychic, Tarok had already walked up to the door by the time Mike had finished his sentence, digging his fingers into the side of the door and in one might tug, pulled it all the way open with no effort.

"I think I got it." Tarok said as he entered the 22nd floor hallway. Just as the others joined him, they could hear the husks bashing down the door below them bit by bit, letting them know that they didn't have much time.

"Okay Sam," Nepturus said, "what've you got in mind?"

Sam looked around until she saw the elevator near the center of the hall. "There, the elevator!" She then ran up to it and started pressing the button to call it.

"You're wasting your time Sam." Nepturus said, "We were in that elevator shaft, and I can tell you for certain that it's not operational."

"Good, exactly what we need." This response left everyone confused.

"Did I miss something here?" Mike asked, confused. "Why is our method of escape not working exactly what we need?" Instead of answering him, Samantha started prying the doors open, being lucky enough that the power to the elevators was out, so they slid open with relative ease, revealing the deep elevator shaft. She then turned her flashlight on and pointed it to the left side of the shaft, revealing a set of ladder rungs heading up.

"That is why it's what we need. Are you guys coming or what?" With that, Samantha jumped onto ladder and started climbing her way up.

With the sounds of the husks tearing the door down echoing from the stairwell, the group quickly followed Samantha's example and started climbing behind her. As they were climbing, Mike looked up the shaft, catching a faint glimpse of the bottom of an elevator. "Hey," he said, "look up there! Brings back old memories huh?"

Alaia chuckled, "Oh yeah, old memories of almost dying needlessly in an elevator with three strangers. Good times, right Tarok?"

"Just keep moving, girlie. These things don't feel like they were designed for krogans." Tarok replied, the sounds of bolts creaking being heard from the rungs he was holding.

Just when they reached the 25th floor, Samantha managed to leap her way onto the bit of flooring on the inside of the elevator shaft and carefully pulled the doors open, allowing the other four to jump out into the hallway. When everyone was out of the shaft, Tarok had a thought and quickly grabbed the two doors and slammed them together, using all of his strength to bend the points where the doors met together so as to fuse them together securely. "In case they can climb." He said.

The group ran down the hallway, heading towards to cab port. The first thing Alaia noticed while heading that way was that the two soldiers were nowhere to be found. "Where are those two guys that were here before?"

"They're probably at the transport. Just keep moving." Mike said, getting ready to turn the corner to the cab port.

When they finally reached the cab port, they saw that the transport definitely looked like it had more people on it than before, to the point where it looked full. Mike ran up to the soldier helping people inside get situated and said, "Hey! What happened to all the free seats?"

"Sorry," the soldier replied, "a group of survivors came in from the floors above, we're filled to capacity here. We can't stay here any longer, we've gotta go."

"Wait!" Nepturus yelled out, "Surely you can fit one more person on there!"

"Like I said, we're filled to-"

"Please! Just one more person!"

The soldier turned to look inside, then looked back at Nepturus. "Okay, I can fit one more person, but that's it. C'mon!"

"No, not me." Nepturus then turned to look at Samantha, who then realized what he was suggesting.

"No way!"

"Sam..." Nepturus insisted.

"There is no way I'm gonna leave you here-"

"Sam, there's no time!"

"I'm staying here with-"

"SAM, PLEASE!...just...I can't...I can't do it again, Sam. I can't risk losing you again. You and I both know you don't won't last long out here. Just...get on the transport...for me."

Sam looked very reluctant, looking down and shifting her eyes from side to side. "Nep...just...stay alive. Do you understand me? Don't you DARE die on me!"

Nepturus nodded his head and pulled her in for one last hug as the soldier shouted, "The fleet can't keep a window open for us for much longer, is she coming or not?"

Nepturus and Samantha let go of one another before Samantha turned her attention to Alaia, Mike, and Tarok. "Please...keep him alive for me."

"We will." Mike replied. "Now get going."

Giving Nepturus one last look, she turned to the transport and jumped on with the soldier's assistance. "Alright, Frank! Let's get out of here!" The transport's engines then kicked to life as the vehicle slowly rose from the ground. The four survivors looked up as the transport rose, Nepturus never taking his eyes off of Samantha, and vice versa.

Just before the transport's door closed, a voice shouted, "HEADS UP!", and a metallic crate flew out of the door and landed in front of the survivors, causing them to look back up to see the soldiers from the hallway. "TRUST US!" One of them said. "YOU'RE GONNA NEED IT! GOOD LUCK!" With that, the door closed and the shuttle turned from the group, speeding off towards the sky as the sounds of the battle raging in the city was blotted out for a split second by the engines of the transport hitting full strength, rocketing the vehicle away from the building and eventually out of sight.

Once the vehicle left their sight, the survivors turned their attention to the crate the soldiers had dropped. Mike walked up to it and opened it up, revealing several different types of guns, including three assault rifles, a shotgun, a sniper rifle and two SMGs, along with several boxes of thermal clips. "Thanks guys." Mike said as he pulled out one of the assault rifles, allowing it to extend itself from its compact mode. The others soon walked up to the crate and picked up their own weapons. Nepturus decided on the sniper rifle, Alaia picked up the two SMGs and one of the assault rifles, and Tarok took the shotgun and the last assault rifle. Each person then picked up a box of thermal clips and stored them in their pockets.

Tarok put all of his weapons on his back and looked to Alaia, "Alright quarian, we've saved your survivors. Now its time to stay true to your word."

Alaia sighed and said, "You're right. I owe you one Chamberlain tracking device."

"...well, where is it?"

Putting her SMGs to her side, Alaia activated her omni-tool and brought up a holographic map of London. "Alright, all I need to do is hack into London's E-ID tracking network...and then configure my omni-tool to send out low energy pulses to look for that particular signature, aaaaaaaaand...there." A small, red dot appeared on the map on the complete other side of the map from where they were standing.

"Hm, well, and here I half thought you were bluffing, quarian. Thanks for the help, and good luck to you." Tarok said as he turned to leave.

"Wait a second," Mike said, "we're coming with you."

Tarok stopped in his tracks, "No, you're not. I'm sorry human, but I don't have time to-"

"Hey, I don't care how much of a badass krogan you think you are, but even you have to admit, you're in over your head here."

"I can take care of myself."

"He's right Tarok," Alaia jumped in, "we all need each other now. Even if you don't think so."

"I appreciate your help, but I don't have time to babysit you three."

"C'mon guys," Nepturus said, "Let him go, we'll be better off not having to deal with his pompous ass the whole time."

"Watch your mouth turian, before I force feed you this shotgun." Tarok then got up in Nepturus' face.

"Try it, I'll be glad to put you out of your misery!"

Just as Tarok was about to reach for his shotgun, Mike jumped in between them. "Enough! Both of you! I get it, you two don't like each other, but we've got more important shit to deal with."

"Screw you human. I don't take orders from you or anyone else!" Tarok replied angrily. "I've tolerated you so far because I needed the girl's cooperation, but now that I have what I need, don't think I won't put a bullet in your head!"

"Just let him go Mike, he's not worth it." Nepturus said disdainfully, his assault rifle pointed at Tarok.

"Your people already made their feelings clear about my people, turian!"

"Oh that's it! I've had enou-"

"SHUT THE HELL UP, ALL OF YOU!" Alaia's voice echoed throughout the cab port as all three men's eyes shot to her. She stormed up to Nepturus, shoving his gun down saying, "You, cool it!" She then got up in Tarok's face, showing a kind of bravery few others would towards the towering krogan in front of her. "Listen and listen good. You may not want to believe it, but you are not invincible! There are hundreds of those monsters out there just waiting to kill you when you least expect it! So I don't care how tough you think you are, without our help, they're going to tear you apart eventually! So get this through your head: we ARE going to stay together and you ARE going to like it! GOT IT!"

…

…

…

No words were spoken for several seconds as Alaia and Tarok stared each other down. Mike and Nepturus fully expected Tarok to simply crush Alaia under his foot for her little outburst. Tarok was in a state of both shock and confusion. _She did it again, _he thought, _she's just staring me down like she were another krogan. She knows she can't win if I decide to attack her, so why is she...hm, she's got a fire in her, that's for sure. And what she says is true..._

After several more seconds of the two staring each other down, Tarok rose up to his full height, never taking his off of Alaia, and groaned. "...Fine. You win quarian. But get this straight: we're going to find Chamberlain, and I'm going to kill him. If you can't handle that, then just forget about this partnership. Are we clear?"

Alaia's serious face faded as she crossed her arms and said, "Alright, I can handle that. Mike, Nep, are you alright with that?"

Mike and Nepturus looked at each other and nodded, "Yeah, I guess so."

"Sure, alright"

"There, see?" Alaia said, "All we needed was a good heart to heart talk. You guys need to learn to communicate better."

Tarok rolled his eyes as he opened his own omni-tool, revealing the map of London, where he then placed the position Alaia had tracked for him. "Alright, according to girlie here, Chamberlain's shuttle landed here, which is on the other side of the city. The way I see it, with blocked roads, resistance and the river we'll need to cross, we should be there in about 12 hours optimistically."

"Optimistically? That doesn't sound very reassuring." Mike responded.

"It isn't. I fully expect it'll take us longer than that."

"Okay," Nepturus said, "but we still have to think about how we're going to get off the planet once this business with Chamberlain's done."

Mike thought for a second, then said, "Well, this may help us out on both fronts."

"How so?" Nepturus asked.

"Well, Chamberlain is obviously a rich asshole, right?"

"Right..."

"So, rich asshole's usually have access to a private, off-world transport. So once Tarok gets through with him, we could just take it."

"Alright, assuming that he does have one, why hasn't he used it to get off the planet yet?"

"Well," Alaia added, "the soldier in the transport did say that it was taking the entire Alliance fleet to give them enough of a window to get off world without those things destroying them. Maybe Chamberlain isn't so lucky."

"Yeah, makes sense to me." Mike said.

Nepturus then shook his head, "Alright, then if that's the case, how do you propose we get off world? We'd be in the same boat as Chamberlain."

Mike thought for a second, but drew a blank. "Well, we'll burn that bridge when we get to it. Let's just work with this plan right now. It's the only one we've got."

Alaia and Nepturus nodded in agreement, Tarok then saying, "We can sit around here and debate it all day while the machines tear the building down on us, or we can do it. Let's get moving already." With that, the four survivors turned back to the hallway to find a way out of the building.

As they entered the hallway again, Mike walked up next to Alaia and half-whispered to her, "You're quite the negotiator, Alaia."

"Thanks," She replied, "I didn't even know I had it in me."

"Well, whatever it is," Nepturus added, "I'd keep it. Maybe you could convince whatever those things are to turn around and go home." Almost as if on cue, the building was shaken once more by another massive tremor, accompanied by an equally powerful explosive sound. The group barely managed to keep on their feet as the shaking caused part of the ceiling to crumble down behind them, blocking their way back, as well as knocking out all the lights in the hallway.

As the shaking subsided, Nepturus and Alaia turned their flashlights one, illuminating the hall as Mike said, "Something tells me it's not going to be that easy."


	10. Chapter 6: Escaping Buckingham Terrace

Chapter 6: Escape from Buckingham Terrace

The survivors raced down the hall, each with the same question on their minds: How are they going to get out of the building?

"Does anyone have a plan yet?" Alaia asked, obviously exhausted from all the running and stair climbing she'd been doing, as were the others.

"Well," Mike answered, "the way I see it, we have two options: The stairs or the elevators. And since the stairs are probably crawling with those husk things and the elevators are definitely not safe, it's pretty much 'pick your poison'."

The group turned a corner, making sure to check every angle for more husks. With his assault rifle in hand, Nepturus jumped in, "The elevators aren't an option. The building's integrity is more than likely compromised, making the elevators no more than 20 story drops."

"The stairs probably aren't much better." Tarok added, his eyes darting to every corner of the hall. "We've already had them collapse on us more than once, turian."

Alaia was about to respond to his statement when her eyes caught sight of two glowing dots behind her in the darkness. "Guys, behind us!"

All eyes went to their flank as several husks burst forth from the darkened hallway, the four survivors opening fire instantly. Mike, Nepturus, and Tarok sent out short, controlled bursts into the horde, taking out half of them within a few seconds, while Alaia simply went full-auto with her SMG's, spraying the hall with bullets. Tarok's assault rifle clicked, forcing him to knock out the used thermal clip just as one lucky husk managed to sneak through the barrage of gunfire and jump onto him. The creature latched onto Tarok's head and started battering him with frenzied punches, forcing Tarok to lose his balance and fall on his back. Nepturus quickly grabbed the creature from behind and threw it off of Tarok, allowing Mike the chance to shoot it with three precise shots to the head, killing it instantly. When all was said and done, around 20 dead husks lay on the ground, oozing blue, oily liquid from their wounds.

Nepturus turned back around and offered his hand to Tarok, who simply refused it and got up on his own. The two simply gave each other a hostile look before breaking eye contact.

"Everyone good?" Mike asked, expending a thermal clip from his assault rifle.

"I'm okay." Alaia answered, putting her guns to her side for a second to shake her hands, attempting to relieve the feeling received from the recoil of the guns.

"Yeah, I'm good." Nepturus said as he inspected the husks, making sure they were dead.

"I'd be a lot better if you idiots had covered me more competently." Tarok quipped, shaking his head to get rid of the headache he'd received from the creature. _Those things are stronger than they look._ He thought.

Nepturus was about to rebuke Tarok's comment when Mike grabbed his shoulder, "Just let it go, it's not worth it."

Nepturus sighed and nodded in agreement. The group then started down the hallway once more, remaining vigilant.

As they walked, they found another stairwell entrance. Nepturus attempted to open it with no success. "It's no good, the electrical grid to this door must be fried, I can't get a response out of its control panel."

"Move, turian. We don't have all day." Tarok stepped up to the door as Nepturus took a few steps back to avoid injury. Tarok pulled back his right hand, balled it up into a fist and slammed it into the door, denting it inwards and opening a hole on the side. Tarok grabbed onto the dented inlet and was about to pull the door open when a gray and blue hand shot out from the other side and grabbed Tarok's arm. On instict, Tarok pulled back with all his might, effectively tearing the husk's arm off and spraying its fluids all over the door, much the survivors' disgusts. Tarok unclasped the husk's severed arm from his just as the door started to dent back towards the survivors, the sounds of a lot of husks moaning joining the creaking of the metal door.

"We should probably start running about now." Mike said, the others silently agreeing as they hurried away from the door as the husks made enough progress to stick their arms out of the gaping holes in the door.

The hallway only grew darker as the group went further into it, the sounds of the husks not far behind them. Alaia turned on her omni-tool's flashlight as the light became too scarce, luckily stopping the survivors from running straight into a wall, the four stopping with an almost cartoonish screeching halt. "Good call." Mike said before turning his attention down the hall they just came from, where he could see the eyes of at least a dozen husks getting brighter and brighter. "Oh crap! Go go go!" He yelled before the four bolted down the next hallway.

Tarok took the opportunity to pull out his assault rifle and send a few volleys into the darkness behind him, attempting to slow their pursuers down. "Tarok, don't bother! Save your ammo and run!" Nepturus insisted.

Tarok growled in response, making his frustration known, "I'm tired of running from these things, we should be tearing them all new assholes, not fleeing like children."

"Hey," Mike added, "'He who runs away lives to fight another day.' right?" Tarok simply raised an eyebrow and huffed.

Just as the group turned another corner, they came face to face with another pack of husks, wandering over the bodies of several dead guests. "Crap! Other way, c'mon!" Nepturus yelled. Turning around quickly, they bolted down the other end of the hall, now with twice as many husks on their tails.

Just as the group got to full sprint, Alaia's flashlight revealed a dead end at the end of the hall. The group came to another screeching halt and Alaia asked, "Now what?"

The husks were getting closer by the second, the sounds of their footfalls and their moaning getting louder with each passing second. With no time to spare, Mike looked to his left and saw an elevator. "Quick, into the elevator!"

"He's joking, right?" Alaia asked, being nervous at the prospect at being in another elevator.

"No time to argue, c'mon!" Nepturus then pushed Alaia towards the elevator as several husks became visible from the darkness, Tarok opening fire to suppress their advance. Nepturus opened the panel on the side of the elevator doors to open it manually as Alaia and Mike joined Tarok in keeping the horde back. As Nepturus attempted to open the elevator doors, a shocked look came upon his face when he entered his chief engineer's passcode. "What the hell!"

Mike took notice of Nepturus' distress. "What's wrong? Can't you open it?"

Nepturus didn't answer, he simply tried to fathom why what he had discovered had happened, but quickly shook his head and said, "Alaia, I need you to hack this terminal, I can't open it!"

Alaia reacted instantly, breaking off her barrage of SMG fire and activating her omni-tool. "Okay, cover me!" With that, Nepturus stood up, pulled out his assault rifle and joined Mike and Tarok in covering Alaia.

"They just keep coming!" Mike observed, "There must be over 50 of them!"

"Quarian, hurry up!" Tarok demanded, ejecting a thermal clip.

"Working on it!" Alaia said, tapping commands into her omni-tool at lightning speed. "Okay, bypass the first firewall...enter the shunt program...nuke the main security grid firewall..."

"Alaia, any time please!" Mike yelled over the sounds of the three assault rifles firing.

"Okay okay...almost got it...what?"

Nepturus knew what she was surprised about, "Alaia, ask questions later, hack through it!"

Alaia shook her head of questions, "Uh, okay okay. Just need to use the secondary firewall to sneak through the security grid...almost there..."

The husks were getting closer and closer with each advance, getting uncomfortably close to the survivors. "ALAIA!" Mike yelled desperately.

Alaia's eyes darted back and forth as her omni-tool went crazy with commands, scrolling text going past her at light speeds until..."GOT IT!" The sounds of the elevator doors hissing open filled the hallway, to the great relief of the group.

"Everybody in the elevator, now!" Tarok ordered as he and the others backed into the elevator; the husks biting at their heels. Alaia joined the other three in firing on the wave of creatures, as they entered the elevator, kicking the 'close door' button on the holographic panel when all of them were in. As the doors closed, the survivors continued firing on the husks, their viscous bloods spraying like a hose into the elevator as the creatures crawled over one another trying to get to their prospective victims. With a final hiss, the doors slammed shut, stopping the husks in their tracks.

Just as the survivors breathed a sigh of relief, the sound of many hands pounding on the door from the other side reminded them that they weren't safe quite yet. Mike took the opportunity to press the 'lobby' button. "Going down."

Slowly but surely, the elevator eased downward, the sound of the husks desperately tearing down the door growing farther and farther away until it stopped completely. The four survivors spent the first few seconds collecting their breath, wiping the sweat from their brows and leaning against the walls to rest. After about a minute, Mike started chuckling, Alaia and Nepturus joining him. Tarok shook his head and groaned.

"Well, that was fun." Mike observed sarcastically.

"Yeah," Nepturus said, finally catching his breath, "but guys...something's up."

Tarok couldn't resist. "Really? What was your first clue, turian?"

"He's being serious, Tarok." Alaia stepped in, trying to prevent another fight. "We both noticed something when we tried to open the doors."

"What do you mean?" Mike said.

"She means that those doors weren't malfunctioning," Nepturus answered, "they were on lockdown."

For a few seconds, nobody said anything, the revelation causing questions to race through their minds. "Lockdown?" Mike asked, "You mean someone purposefully turned the elevators off?"

"That's what it looks like." Nepturus said.

"Why would someone do that?" Alaia asked, "What would it accomplish other than keeping people from...from getting out." Those last words were laced with realization.

"It was Chamberlain, it had to be." Tarok stated.

"I don't know," Mike said, unconvinced, "even though we know he's an ass, what would stopping all the elevators accomplish for him? He escaped just when the first tremor happened."

"Yeah, it doesn't make any sense. Besides," Nepturus added, "there are only two people who could possibly put the elevators on lockdown: The chief engineer, which is me, and...no...no it couldn't be..."

Mike raised an eyebrow. "What? Who is it?"

"...the hotel Manager, Marcus Tember. But, that's impossible."

"What? He a friend of yours?" Mike asked.

"No, he's an asshole, but not even Marcus would do this, it doesn't make any sense."

Mike took a deep breath and sighed, "Well, we don't have time to figure out why or how it happened. It doesn't matter now, anyway."

"I know," Nepturus said, "but if it was Marcus...I just don't know why he'd-" He was cut off mid-sentence by the elevator coming to a halt, nearly causing the four to lose their footing.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me!" Mike yelled in frustration.

"What's going on, turian?" Tarok added, equally fuming.

"Either the power's gone out or...someone's stopped the elevator from the outside." As he finished his thought, he stepped over to the elevator panel and pressed the intercom button. "Marcus...Are you there?...MARCUS!"

He was met only with silence, until a sudden bout of static caused all the survivors, save for Tarok, to jump.

"...You...you think you can get me, don't you...think you can get to me...no...nononononono, I won't let you...you're not taking me..."

"Marcus! Release the elevator now!"

"...You're not gonna get me...not gonna get me...nononononono, won't let you..."

"...Marcus? It's me, Nepturus. You know, 'cricket face'?"

"V...Vitan?"

"Yes, it's me Marcus. Now just release the lockdown on elevator...14B, OK?"

"You...you...you did it, didn't you? You did all this...You're with THEM!"

"What? Marcus, what're you-"

"I NEVER TRUSTED YOU VITAN, I KNEW I WAS RIGHT! ...you...you and your bug faced, blue skinned, antenna headed FREAKS...you've been waiting to kill us all haven't you...waiting to kill ME...well, hehehehe, I won't let you...you hear me...I WON'T LET YOU!"

Just then, the elevator sprang to life, jolting downward with more force than usual, Nepturus realizing that Marcus was messing with the brake system.

"MARCUS! Marcus, calm down! I had nothing to do with this!

"LIAR! You killed them all...you sent those...things after me...well, you're little friends won't help you now!"

The elevator kept skipping down in short bursts, forcing Nepturus to give up on Marcus and focus and gaining control of the elevator back. "Alaia, I'll work on the wiring here, you try and hack the controls away from Marcus."

"Got it!" Alaia steadied herself and made her way to the control panel as Nepturus tore a metal panel off the wall next to it, revealing a mess of wires and circuits. She brought her omni-tool to life again and began hacking for all she was worth.

"Ah ah aaaaaah, no you don't." Marcus said over the intercom as an electrical charge surged through the elevator's wiring and out of the control panel, effectively knocking both Alaia and Nepturus back and onto the floor.

"YOU SON OF A-" Nepturus yelled out as the elevator went down again, but for longer this time. Nepturus could now hear more screeching and creaking coming from below the elevator, telling him that the breaks were wearing out. "Crap, he's wearing out the breaks. If he keeps this up, we'll plummet to the bottom."

"C'mon you freaks, DROP...why won't this stupid thing do what I tell it to, DROP EM YOU PIECE OF-...no, no, they've found me...NO, NO PLEASE DON'T- AAAAAHHHHHGah...ack..." Just as the sound of Marcus' cries began to die down, the elevator stopped completely.

Just as the four were about to breathe a sigh of relief, however, the creaking sounds beneath them didn't stop, but instead became louder. "Oh spirits." Nepturus swore as the elevator began to slowly slide down, the brakes deteriorating beneath it.

"The brakes are giving out!" Nepturus yelled, running to the control panel, only to find it unresponsive. "Dammit!"

"Hang on," Mike said, "these elevators have emergency brakes for when the power goes out right?"

"Yeah, why...oh crap."

"It's the only way, how do we cut the power to the elevator?"

Nepturus thought for a second, then figured it out. "Okay, well, no time for precision! Tarok, grab as many wires in that panel as you can and rip them out. And don't argue with me on this for once, just do it!"

Though he was reluctant to be ordered around by a turian, Tarok did as Nepturus said and made his way to the panel, grabbing a handrail to steady himself as he grabbed as many wires as he could, getting a nasty shock as he did. Gritting his teeth, Tarok yanked on the wires with all of his strength, tearing most of them out of the wall with little effort. Then, as they had hoped, the elevator began to drop suddenly, but suddenly started to slow down by the unmistakable sound of the emergency brakes kicking in as the lights inside the elevator went out.

The elevator was silent for a moment, everyone collecting their breath once more and hoping that another disaster wouldn't occur. Finally, Mike broke the silence, "Everyone alright?"

"I'm okay...I think."

"I'm fine here, no injuries."

"I hate this planet."

Satisfied that everyone was OK, Mike responded to Tarok, "Yeah well, I'm not a big fan of it right now either."

Alaia and Nepturus turned their flashlights on, illuminating the room once more. Shaking her head, Alaia asked Nepturus, "Any idea what floor we're on?"

"No clue." He replied, rubbing his shoulder.

"I know one way to find out." Tarok said, grabbing the elevator doors and slowly prying them open. With one good push, he flung the doors open with ease, revealing a dark hall with pipes lining the ceiling and no signs of the luxurious surroundings of the rest of the hotel.

"Wow, we really made that by the skin of our teeth. This is the lowest level of the hotel." Nepturus observed, stepping out of the elevator and nearly tripping, not realizing that the elevator wasn't completely level with the floor.

"Watch your step." Tarok quipped, nearly smiling at Nepturus' embarrassment. Tarok stepped off the elevator, followed by Alaia and Mike, who said, "Y'know, the first adventure we had in an elevator only made me a little sour towards them, but now it's official: I hate elevators."

"Yeah, I used to wonder why they didn't have them on the flotilla," Alaia added, "but now I know."

"If you sucklings are done whining, where do we head now?" Tarok said, rolling his eyes.

"Well, I've been down here several times, so I vaguely remember the layout." Nepturus replied, trying to remember where to go. "I think there's a flight of stairs nearby that leads to the main lobby."

"Woah, guys," Alaia protested, "are you sure we should be heading for the lobby? What if that's where those things are coming from? I'd rather not have to deal with another army of those things."

Mike thought for a second and nodded his head, "Yeah, she has a point. From what I saw, those things can't fly, so the only way they could have gotten in is through the lobby, so there may be a lot of them in there. Nep, is there any other place these tunnels lead to that could be safe?"

"Hmm...wait, yeah, I think I remember an entrance to the old tube system somewhere down here."

"Tube system?" Alaia asked.

"It's another word for subway."

"Oh. So, would those subway cars still be working?"

"I doubt it, those cars haven't been touched in over a century, my guess is they'd probably be nothing more than rusty heaps of scrap metal by now."

Mike then asked, "Any chance those husks could get in those tunnels?"

"I don't know. The tunnels were sealed off a while ago until the city figured out what they wanted to do with them."

"Well," Mike said, "It seems like our best bet to getting across the city without drawing too much attention."

"As long as it gets us there, I could care less." Tarok stated, barely listening to the other three.

"Alright, the subway it is. Which way, Nep?"

"Hm, down the east tunnel I think."

"He thinks?" Alaia asked, concerned.

"Like I said," Nepturus replied, "I haven't been down here in a while, so I don't remember where everything is by heart, but it'll come to me."

"I'm warning you, turian," Tarok threatened, "if you get us lost down here, I'm going to use your mandibles to chip my way out."

Nepturus said nothing, he simply stared back at the krogan before turning to head to the east tunnel. Tarok soon followed behind him, with Alaia and Mike next to him. Rolling his eyes, Mike leaned to Alaia and joked, "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

Alaia chuckled a bit and said, "I love Casablanca."

Surprised, Mike said, "Wow, I'm impressed. When did you see Casablanca?"

"Well," Alaia started, "I first saw it when I was 12. That's when I saw a lot of old films from Earth. Gone with the Wind, The Godfather, Rain Man, Jurassic Park, that one was my favorite."

"Jurassic Park?" Nepturus questioned, "I think I heard Sam mention that movie once, I never saw it though. Is it any good?"

"It's a beautiful movie!" Alaia answered excitedly, "It's about humans from the 20th century bringing back creature's from Earth's past called 'dinosaurs'. They're these reptilian creatures that ranged from bird sized to the size of a small cruiser. In fact, some of them kind of look like Tarok."

"Hrmph." Was Tarok's only response.

"So you like the movie because of the dinosaurs?" Mike asked.

"Partially, but the rest is because it's such a beautiful movie. The way they made the dinosaurs look in the movie, the way they filmed some of the atmospheric shots, the music...oh Keelah, sometimes back on the flotilla, I'd listen to the music from the movie to cheer myself up whenever...whenever me and my dad had problems." Her voice trailed off from passionate to depressed very quickly upon mentioning her father.

Understanding her change in attitude, Mike tried to change the subject. "So...have you ever seen Indiana Jones?"

Her head tilted a bit from the name, "I don't think so."

Mike reacted with mock surprise worthy of a Shakespearean actor, "Are you kidding me? You've seen some of the greatest movies humanity has to offer but you haven't seen Indiana Jones?"

His exaggerated outrage made Alaia laugh, "Ha, I'm sorry, I've just never heard of it. What's it about?"

"It's about this archaeologist named Indiana Jones, who goes around the world finding lost treasures."

"Wait a minute," Nepturus asked while stepping over a powerline, "isn't he the guy with the weird hat and the whip?"

"Yeah, that's him. You've seen the movies?"

"No, but last year I came to work during Halloween and one of the bellboys was dressed up like that. I asked Sam about it and she just told me, 'He's Indiana Jones.'" Nepturus did his best impression of Samantha when quoting her, making both Alaia and Mike burst out laughing.

"What was that?" Mike attempted to ask between bouts of laughter.

"What? You didn't like my impression?" Nepturus replied.

"You sounded like a gargling vorcha." Tarok said, making Mike and Alaia laugh even harder.

Mike wiped a tear from his eye, "That was good Tarok. And here I thought you didn't have a sense of humor."

"I wasn't kidding. I've actually heard a vorcha gagging on his own blood. The resemblance was uncanny."

The laughter stopped abruptly at the disturbing imagery, Alaia clearing her throat. For the next couple of minutes, the group kept silent, Nepturus leading the way through the many twisting tunnels, the darkness around them making traversing the tunnels harrowing at best.

"How much farther, turian?" Tarok asked, nearly banging his head on a dislodged pipe.

"It can't be too much farther, we've been walking for a few minutes now so we must be at least a couple hundred meters from the hotel." Nepturus responded, doing the math in his head.

"So," Mike started, "once we make it to the old subway, where do we go from there?"

"The tunnels lead to almost anywhere in the city, we just need to know which tunnel leads to what area."

Just then, a sudden shaking disturbed the walls in the tunnels, causing some dust and small debris to dislodge from the ceiling. The shaking, accompanied by a loud, thundering boom, lasted for nearly 30 seconds, until the tremor slowly dissipated. "What was that?" Alaia asked.

"Well, we're about 50 or so feet below ground level, so the only thing I know of that could shake the tunnels down here like that is...a building collapse."

The tunnel once again fell silent, Alaia rubbing her hands together nervously.

"You sure?" Mike asked.

"Pretty sure." Nepturus answered, now watching the ceiling closely.

Alaia shook her head, one question plaguing her mind. "Why are they doing this?" She asked aloud. "What are they trying to accomplish?"

"It doesn't matter." Mike responded, smacking dust from his jacket. "What matters now is finding Chamberlain."

"Ha," Tarok laughed, "that's the first thing you've said that I completely agree with, human."

"Aw," Alaia added, tapping Tarok on the should teasingly, "I knew you guys would start bonding."

Tarok wanted to rebuke her comment, but decided against it. _She'll just find some way to turn it around on me. She's clever like that. _Shaking the unexpected compliment from his mind, he returned his gaze to the front, where a fork in the tunnels was coming into view. "Ok, where to, turian? Which way?"

Nepturus looked down both tunnels, bringing a hand to stroke his chin in thought. After a few seconds, he turned to the group and said, "No idea."

"TURIAN!" Tarok yelled, ready to strangle Nepturus in frustration.

"Hey! I haven't been down here in a while, we're lucky I got us this far." Nepturus defended himself. "Besides, there are only two ways we can go from here, and I'm sure one of them leads to the subway entrance."

"Okay, let's split up again." Mike suggested. "Same teams as last time?"

Alaia leaned on Tarok, and though he couldn't see it for certain, Tarok could tell there was a cheery grin on her face. "Ugh, fine. I'll take the girl."

"Alright, Nep and I will take the left tunnel, you and Alaia can take the right tunnel. If one us finds the entrance, we'll give the other a call." With that, Mike set his omni-tool to be ready to communicate at a moment's notice, as did the others.

Mike and Nepturus started down the left tunnel as Alaia and Tarok started down the right. Turning his flashlight from left to right, Nepturus scanned the tunnel for any movement, still cautious of any 'visitors' the tunnels may have hidden within. Breaking the silence, Mike said, "Man, I really thought Tarok was going to kill you there, or at least rough you up a bit."

"We shouldn't have bothered with him, he can't be trusted. Why did Alaia insist on bringing him along?" Nepturus replied.

"Maybe she sees something in him that we don't. Women are weird like that."

"I hear that. I swear, sometimes I feel like Sam could tell exactly what I was thinking at all times. It's kind of creepy."

"Yeah, Narala's sort of the same way. Actually, she was like that just before I left for Earth."

That statement elicited an curious look from Nepturus. "Really? How so?"

"Well, I live on the colony where her group is headquartered. A planet called Tamaris. So we see each other pretty much every day, so on they day I was packing for the trip..."

Tamaris, 2 days earlier

Mike stuffed several shirts into his suitcase, as well as some pants and undergarments, making sure to keep as lightly packed as possible for convenience's sake. His closet was filled with almost identical shirts and pants, the only unique thing in there being his grandfather's jacket. The entire time he packed, the same question raced through his mind, _Why the hell am I doing this? _In the ten years he'd worked for Eses Ventures, Mike had never taken a vacation, something he'd felt a certain amount of pride over. Some people, including Narala, called him a workaholic, but Mike saw it differently. He enjoyed working for the group, not so much the miniature wars that would start up with pirate bands or slavers, but the ability to explore new worlds and the exercise. To him, this vacation just seemed to be an excuse to veg out for a few days and gain some extra weight. _Great, that's all I need, Narala and her crew pointing out how chubby I'll be, I'll never hear the end of it. _Mike joked in his head, a small chuckle escaping his throat. Just as he'd gotten halfway done putting his clothes in his suitcase, he heard the familiar sound of someone ringing his doorbell. "It's open!" He said, inviting whoever it was in.

When the door hissed open, he was greeted by the unmistakeable image of Narala. At just around 6'1, Narala was taller than the average asari, giving her an imposing stature to some, but to Mike, it only made her as tall as he was. Even as far as asari were concerned, Narala was gorgeous, with a face that most men would find irresistible, a fact Narala had used several times to her advantage when dealing with uncooperative colony heads to gain access to dig sites. Her body was also not something to sneeze at, though Narala never flaunted it, she always wore a loose fitting dark blue jacket with her company's logo, two hands grasping a stone tablet, emblazoned on the right side of the chest and a pair of run-of-the-mill pants of the same color; though her curves were still very noticeable. The tentacle-like folds on her head held her natural blue skin color, something that was uncommon with most asari of her age range, who mostly preferred having it dyed with artistic patterns.

Narala walked into his room, a datapad in her hand. "Okay Mike," she said, "I've finally gotten permission from the salarian head of colony affairs to explore the ancient burial grounds on Mannovai, so we should be able to start the expedition in about two week-" She cut off her thought when she noticed Mike packing his bags, her brow lifting in curiosity. "Don't tell me, you were listening in on my conversations again and decided to pack early?"

Mike laughed, the first time he'd done so since he'd gotten back. "No, actually, uh...you know all those vacation days I've been saving up since I started working here?"

Narala's eyes widened. "No...you? Going on vacation? Somebody call a doctor! The man is ill!" She shouted in mock panic, though it was laced with genuine shock.

Mike rolled his eyes and smiled, "I know I know, stop the presses."

Narala's sarcasm quickly turned to genuine concern. "Seriously though, why the sudden decision to take a break? ...Did something happen at your father's funeral?"

"Yeah, you could say that." Mike answered, a hint of frustration evident in his remark.

"Well," Narala asked, expecting him to have told her already, "what happened?"

"Long story short, after my mother scattered his ashes, she told me about how he'd been saving up all this money for years to take us all to Earth one day. So she gave me the money and asked me if I'd go to Earth to keep it from going to waste."

Narala picked up the subtle signs that Mike wasn't very happy about this, and not just because he didn't like the idea of taking a vacation. "So, what's bothering you about it?"

Mike hesitated for a second, then said, "I just...don't want to waste my time on Earth, that's all."

Narala's intuition blared, causing her to put her hands on her hips to show she wasn't buying it. "Uh huh."

After several seconds of being stared at, Mike asked, "What?"

"I've known you for too long not to know when something's bothering you on a personal level. That, and you're doing that thing where you tap out the theme from those movies you like with your teeth."

_How does she notice these things? Is she spying on me or something? _Mike thought, trying to keep his composure as he finished packing his bag. Finally, realizing she'd keep pestering him about it until he talked, he relented. "Ugh, I don't know, I just...I just don't like being sent to do something I don't feel like doing just to 'appease my father's spirit'." With that last phrase, he did the quotation sign with his hands.

Narala knew better than to get Mike talking about his father, but she also didn't like seeing him upset. "So, you don't feel that your father deserves to send his son on vacation?"

"No," he answered, a disdainful tone lacing the word, "I just don't want anything from him. Who knows where he got that money. Knowing him, he probably stole from turians' bedside tables for years." Though the remark sounded like a joke, his tone implied otherwise.

"C'mon Mike, I know you and your father didn't exactly..."

"Narala, please don't start with the whole, 'Your father wasn't such a bad guy' bit. I already get that enough from my mother, I don't need you trying to shove it down my throat too." After finishing his sentence, he leaned his head against his closet door, resting it on his arm. After a few seconds, he realized how much of an idiot he was being. "I'm sorry, Narala. You didn't deserve that. I know you're just trying to help."

"It's alright," Narala answered, "I've had people talk to me in a worse tone than that. Remember that hanar I tried to negotiate excavation rights with a few years back?"

Recollecting what she was talking about, a bout of laughter escaped him, "Oh man, I never knew before how colorful a vocabulary some of them had."

Narala joined in his laughter for a minute before saying, "Look, I'm not going to try and fix the problems you and your father had. All I'm going to say is that he may have been an ass, but at least he's giving you an excuse to go on vacation. I know you don't think so, but you definitely need one."

Rolling his eyes, Mike responded, "Are you sure you mean I need the vacation, or do you mean YOU need a vacation?" A sarcastic grin formed on his face.

"Well, now that you mention it," Narala joked, "it would be nice to have a few days off from seeing your shed hair all over the place."

"You ass." Mike joked, another chuckle escaping him. "Well, anyway, my transport to Earth is leaving in an hour, so I'm glad you stopped by. It saved me the time of tracking you down to tell you where I was going. I would have sent you a message, but you never read them, so..."

Narala shook her head and smiled, "I know, I'm trying to work on that. Anyway, make sure you get back before we head out for Mannovai, I've been waiting for years to have a chance to catalogue those burial grounds."

"Don't worry, I can't get back soon enough." With that, Mike grabbed his jacket out of the closet and put it on before picking up his bag. "I'll see you when I do." He and Narala shook hands before he made his way to the door.

"And Mike!" Narala said before he left.

"Yeah?" He responded.

"Be careful, okay?"

"I will, don't worry. I've been taking care of myself for years, you could say I'm an expert." He finished with a friendly wink and left the room for the spaceport.

Narala exited the room and watched Mike head down the hall, a frown forming across her face as she thought to herself, _I'll miss you__..._

London, Underground Tunnels, Present Day

"Huh." Nepturus said aloud as Mike finished his story.

"What?" Mike asked, curious as to his reaction.

"She asked you to 'Be careful' huh?"

"Yeah, so? What's the big deal?"

"Oh, nothing?" Nepturus replied, returning his attention to the tunnel ahead of him while a smile formed on his face, or the turian equivalent thereof.

"No, what?" Mike asked again, this time more insistently.

"I was just thinking...that's a pretty concerned thing to say for someone who doesn't have feelings for you..."

Mike's eyebrow raised a bit before realizing what he was thinking. "What? Narala? No...I mean, she just wanted me to be careful on my way to Earth, that's all."

"...Uh huh." If Nepturus' face were human-like, he'd have a grin from ear to ear.

"Oh shut up, Nep. I mean, I'll admit, she's an attractive woman...very attractive even. And she's intelligent and funny and...But she and I are just friend's and co-workers is all. She's my boss for crying out loud. She doesn't care about me like that."

"Again...uh huh."

"Ok, you want me to start making fun of your relationship with Sam?"

"Huh, what? Hey, that's different. We are both clearly just friends."

"Uh huh." Mike remarked ironically.

"Just keep looking for that subway entrance, human." Nepturus did his best impression of Tarok on the 'human', laughing as he did.

Right Tunnel

For the last several minutes, Alaia and Tarok said nothing, too busy looking for the subway entrance to start up a conversation, though Alaia admitted that Tarok wasn't exactly one for conversation. However, after a while, she got tired of the pregnant pause and asked Tarok, "Seen anything yet?"

"If I had," Tarok responded, not turning his gaze from the tunnel ahead, "I would have said something wouldn't I?"

"Yeah, I guess so." _I'm glad we had this talk. _She thought sarcastically.

Tarok saw the look on her face, seeing how she'd expected more from their conversation. He finally asked, "Can I ask you something, girlie?"

Alaia was surprised, usually Tarok wouldn't talk to anyone unless he needed something or if someone talked to him first. "Uh, sure."

"Why are you so determined to talk to me?"

The question caught Alaia off guard. "Well, I don't know. I guess I just want to get to know you is all."

"There's nothing to know," Tarok replied, a sort of self loathing behind his words, "I've fought wars, I've made mistakes, and now I'm here. That's all you need to know about me."

Undeterred, Alaia decided to ask him, "You mean to tell me someone like you hasn't done anything interesting in their entire life?"

"I never said that. I just said it's not something you need to know."

"Well, excuse me for trying to make friends."

"I neither want or need friends, quarian. All they do is get in the way."

"So you're telling me you've never had friends...at all?"

"Again...that's not what I said." Remorse filled his remark.

Realizing what he meant, she decided to drop it. "Sorry, Tarok. But just remember, if you ever change your mind, I'm here." Her statement was half joking, half serious, making Tarok raise an eyebrow.

"Hm, you never give up, do ya, girlie?"

"Nope. It's one of my endearing character traits. At least, that's what my dad calls it." Again, mention of her dad brought a hint of dread in her voice.

"You and the human should join a club," Tarok said, "you both can't stop complaining about your fathers."

"Hey, I have good reason to be mad at my father right now. I mean, all my life I do my best in everything I try to do; school, training for my pilgrimage, practicing my computer skills. And yet no matter how well I did, it was never enough for him. He always wanted more from me, sometimes more than I could give him. If I hacked a terminal in 20 seconds, he'd ask why I didn't hack it in 15 seconds. If I got the best grades in my class, he'd ask why I didn't get the best grades of any child in the entire flotilla. He wants a perfect daughter than can impress everyone on the Migrant Fleet, but instead he got me, so he's never satisfied!" Her ranting echoed throughout the tunnels, causing even Tarok to stop and stare at her. Unable to speak any further, she just sighed and brought her hand up to her mask rubbed it as if it were her temples before continuing down the tunnel ahead of Tarok, who followed her from behind.

Despite the fact that Tarok didn't enjoy emotional talks, he realized that Alaia was truly upset. Also, he felt that he somewhat understood what she was talking about. "Y'know, girlie," He started, "you remind me of a krogan child I knew back on Tuchanka."

"Oh yeah?" Alaia asked, wondering if he was simply going to turn this into a 'suck it up' story.

"Yeah. As he grew up, his father demanded that he be the best at everything he set out to do and be perfect at it as well. During training, if the boy were injured, his father would simply tell him that pain and suffering was expected of all krogan, so he expected him to go without treatment to toughen his resolve. He would also pit his son against larger krogan children to train him to fight enemies larger than himself, even if it meant he would be beaten severely. That child grew up to be one of the clan's finest warriors, and yet the father was never satisfied, always telling his son to never fully accept anything other than perfection, even into adulthood."

"Let me guess," Alaia interjected, believing she knew where the story was headed, "that krogan child was you?"

"No...it was my son."

Alaia's eyes widened at the realization. _His...son? Why would he..._

"You know why I treated him like that?"

Alaia didn't say a word, she simply listened.

"Because my own father was not as concerned with me. I wasn't trained by him at all, as any krogan child should rightfully be. I was trained by the clan leader, Jorgal Glovenk. All my father ever did for me was set a bar for me to live up to. He was the clan's second in command, the one krogan, next to Glovenk, that no one wanted to mess with. The stories told about him were so overblown that I'm fairly certain most of it was made up, by him nonetheless. And yet, despite the fact that having a child is one of the most honorable things a krogan could do, especially after the genophage, he didn't care. He disowned me completely, saying he wanted nothing to do with 'a runt like me'. Hmph, there were times in my rite-years that I dreamed of proving him wrong by plunging my dagger straight through both of his hearts. But I never had that chance. So when my chance came to rear a child, I made sure to show him that I cared in the only way I knew how, by pushing him as hard as I could, making sure he was as great a warrior as there had ever been." Throughout the story, Tarok showed no obvious emotion, no tears, no anger, no regret, he simply told the story as if he were talking about someone else.

Alaia's mind was wracked with questions, all stemming from the fact that the story fit almost exactly with her relationship with her father...minus the fighting bigger kids part. "So...did your son hate you for it?"

"Of course he did. To him, I wasn't his father, I was his master. Nothing more, nothing less. That was probably for the best anyway, as I was never good at being a 'heart to heart' person. But despite that, I had accomplished what I'd set out to do, he turned out to be the toughest young warrior in the clan."

"What was his name?"

"Garod, an old krogan word meaning 'stone'." That last word was said with a hint of sadness that Alaia had never seen in him.

"So you're saying that my dad only treats me like crap because he cares about me?"

"I'm saying, girlie, that when it comes down to it, the main job of any parent is to prepare their child for the galaxy they've been born into. And sometimes that means making them hate you."

Alaia didn't say anything for a while, she just walked along side Tarok for the next minute or so, deep in thought. After a while, she lifted her head up and said, "Tarok."

"Hm?"

"...thanks. Really, I mean it."

At first, Tarok said nothing, but a few seconds later he replied, "I was just sick of hearing you complain, quarian. That's all."

For the first time in the last 10 minutes, a smile formed on Alaia's face, "Ok, Tarok. Whatever you say." Just then, she realized that they'd come to a T-intersection, with what looked like metal beams lying parallel to one another and spanning the entire length of the tunnel, far past their line of vision. "I think we found it." She said.

"Finally." Tarok added, "You'd better call the idiot twins and let them know they wasted their time...again."

Alaia chuckled and rolled her eyes before turning to her omni-tool. "Mike, Nep, we've reached the subway tunnel."

**"So have we..we..we."**

"Huh?" Alaia was confused by the echo, until she looked down the tunnel to see Mike and Nepturus sticking their heads out from another tunnel exit. "What the?"

"You've got to be kidding me." Mike remarked, "Both tunnels led to the subway?" He turned his attention to Nepturus, who simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Ok, so my memory wasn't that great. But at least we finally found it." He said, defending himself.

"Leave it to a turian to over complicate things." Tarok said as he stepped down onto the tracks.

"Don't start with me, Tarok."

"Alright alright, let's just figure out which way to go from here." Mike interjected, wanting to avoid another argument.

"How are we supposed to do that? It's not like they left directions down here." Nepturus quipped.

"Hang on a sec." Alaia said, turning on her omni-tool. She scrolled several books she had stored on it, mostly books about artistic styles, great painters and earth cinema. Eventually, she stopped at a book on London that she'd downloaded before coming to Earth. She opened the book and scrolled through it until she found what she was looking for. "Aha! Here we go." She tapped her omni-tool once and an image on its screen enlarged to show a series of winding lines, letters and names of city streets. "Gentlemen, one map of the London subway system."

Mike shook his head, impressed. "Alaia, what would we do without you?"

"Probably starve to death in some old abandoned subway tunnels." She joked.

"Okay, so where are we right now?" Nepturus asked.

"Hm, well, Buckingham Terrace was on Caledonian Road, so the only subway entrance for that area is...here." She then pointed to one of the curved lines in the upper right corner of the map. "And the area where I found Chamberlain's signal is here, near Gunnersbury Park." She then pointed to the complete opposite side of the map, in the lower left corner.

"Crap," Mike said, "by the looks of it, this tunnel won't take us directly there. We'll have to leave this tunnel eventually and get onto the...District line or the London Overground."

"According to the book," Alaia corrected, "the London Overground was demolished in 2163 due to structural concerns and lack of need due to the discovery of mass effect drives. So it looks like the District Line is our best bet."

"Enough with the history lesson! Just tell us which way to go." Tarok said, growing tired of the discussion.

"Okay...hm, that way, to the left."

"You sure?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, the curvature of the tunnel matches this area here, so we need to head this way."

"Okay, let's get going." Nepturus concluded. The group started down the tunnel, flashlights leading the way. Just as they were under way, Nepturus decided to have some fun to pass the time. "Hey Alaia, did you know Mike has a girlfriend back home?"

"Really?" Alaia said with a teasing tone.

"SHUT UP, NEP!"


	11. Chapter 7: On the Outside

Chapter 7: On the Outside

Atlek-5

Ripley's Hope General Hospital

12:50 Standard Galactic Time

"Julia, we've got another Riker's here!" A nurse shouted as she entered the room, wheeling in a patient on a stretcher as she did. The man was convulsing violently, screaming in pain with each uncontrollable motion as the nurses attempted to restrain him for his own safety. Julia Reynolds wasted no time in walking up to the man and checking his eye for dilation, which there was. This signaled to her that he was progressing through the later stages of the disease that was plaguing the colony and that she needed to act fast.

"Quick," she ordered, "get me 20 CC's of hydrosome, and somebody hold his arm steady!" The nurses did as she said and several arms grabbed hold of his right arm and pressed down, locking it in place, while the rest of him continued to shake.

"Make it stop! IT HURTS!" The man shouted, the pain clouding his perceptions of the outside world. One of the nurses filled an injection gun with the ordered amount of the drug while another used her omni-tool to scan the man's vital signs, which were spiking dangerously. The nurse with the syringe didn't hesitate as he pressed the injection gun to the man's restrained arm and pressed the trigger, the short hiss letting him know the injection was in. After a few seconds, nothing happened, the man's violent convulsions didn't falter.

"No effect!" The nurse shouted, looking to Julia for his next instruction.

"He's worse than anticipated. Give him another injection, 25 CC's this time." The nurse did as he was told and changed the needle in the gun before filling it with more liquid and injecting it into the patient's arm again. Again, the drug did nothing to hamper the man's spasm's.

"Still nothing!" The nurse began sweating, getting nervous from the man's horrific display of pain.

"One more time, another 25 CC injection, but no more." Again, the nurse did as he was told and filled the gun again and injected the man one more time. This time, the man began settling down, the shaking started slow until he lay limp on the stretcher for the first time since entering the emergency room. The nurses let go of his arm, breathing a sigh of relief. "Don't celebrate yet," Julia interrupted, "we may have stopped the convulsions, but that's only a temporary fix, we need to do a complete decontamination to get the virus out of his system. Take him over to the decon chamber in ward 5 and tell Dr. Morris to set it to protocol 3." The nurses nodded and quickly wheeled the man out of the room and towards their destination, Julia wiping the sweat that had been forming on her brow.

She'd been dealing with this disease since it starting popping up almost 2 weeks prior, and yet she still couldn't truly get used to the horrific display the patients put on while under its influence. Luckily, she had managed to save most of the patients after she started volunteering at the colony's hospital, but they still had a long road to recovery, since the virus heavily damages the nervous system of its victims, if it doesn't kill them first. Julia returned to her desk, picking up a datapad lying on it while sitting down. She sorted through the list of patients she'd treated, as well as a list of patients still recovering from the disease, before catching glimpse of a picture she had framed on her desk.

The picture was of a young Mike, leaning on a fishing pole with a strange looking fish dangling from the line, next to his father, Joseph, who had his hand on his son's shoulder. Her hand reached out and picked up the picture, slowly bringing it closer to her. A smile formed on her face as she remembered all the times the two of them would go fishing at the lake a couple of miles from their colony and bring back the strangest looking fish, Mike asking his father, "What kind of fish is this?", and his father answering, "Who knows, son. The important thing is, does it taste good?", before having a good laugh. She cherished those times dearly, the times where the two of them still talked to one another, the times where Joseph was...still alive. Then, for what felt like the hundredth time to her, Julia's eyes began to moisten, a couple of tears running down her face as the grief hit her again. The fact that the love of her life was gone was bad enough, but what really tore her apart was that Mike and his father never had a chance to make amends so they could be a family again.

Julia shook her head and wiped the tears from her face, remembering that she still had work to do. She decided to head to the cafeteria for a cup of tea to calm herself, taking her datapad with her as she set the picture back down next to her computer. As she walked the halls to the cafeteria, Julia saw her fellow doctor, Marie Adams, a woman 20 years her senior, checking on a small child on a chair next to her mother. By the looks of it, it appeared the child had simply broken her wrist, as it was in a cast, so Adams was simply adjusting it to be more comfortable. "Okay now," she said, her calming, elderly voice, "just make sure not to move your arm too much and you should be fine in a few weeks. And be sure to be mindful of ledges, even a fall of a few feet can hurt you if you're not careful." She finished her instructions with a smile before shaking the girl's mother's hand, sending them off.

"Hello Marie." Julia greeted, walking up to her.

"Julia, dear. Good to see you're still here. Most other doctors I know would have quit after seeing what you have." Marie answered, truly speaking from experience.

"Someone needs to help these people Marie, it might as well be me. So at least I know they're being treated properly." She allowed a small chuckle to escape her throat upon finishing, admitting she needed it.

"True." Marie said, now seeming to notice Julia's distress, and correctly guessing the cause. "How are you holding up, dear? I know Joseph's passing has hit you hard."

"Oh, I'm going a day at a time. You can probably tell I had another relapse a second ago, but just a small one. I'm fine now." Though she smiled after saying that, Marie wasn't entirely convinced.

"I see. So how's your son doing? I can imagine he has...different feelings on what happened."

"Mike? He's fine. He's on vacation on Earth right now. He used the money I gave him that his father had saved up for years to take us there one day."

Marie could always tell when someone was really upset or uncertain about something, and Julia was ringing those bells loudly to her. "So why are you so upset about it? C'mon dear, holding these things in is much more damaging than letting them be known."

At first, Julia didn't answer, but she soon motioned for Marie to walk with her as she headed for the cafeteria. "I can tell he didn't want to go." She answered, a twinge of despair evident in her voice. "You should have seen him, Marie. The entire time throughout the funeral, he looked as though he didn't care that his father was gone. Every time someone said something positive about him, I could almost hear his teeth clenching even tighter and his fist clenching. The idea that he genuinely hates his father is just...I can't..." Julia began to tear up again as Marie placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Julia, let me tell you something. I've known your son since he was just a tot, before he could even walk. I remember that day in middle school when that mean child knocked him down and nearly broke his arm, and yet a few weeks later he'd forgiven him and the two became friends. And I've also had children of my own, one of which didn't care for his father either. So believe me, your son may be angry at Joseph for one reason or another, but I truly believe he is incapable of really hating someone. Give him time, one day he'll realize how he truly feels for his father, just wait."

Julia smiled as she wiped another tear from her face. "Thanks Marie, where would I be without you?" She half joked.

"Oh, I'm sure you would be in the same place you are now Julia, you'd just have one less old woman to annoy you." Marie's matronly smile helped ease Julia's mind as they entered the cafeteria, where they saw everyone huddled around the holoscreen, frantically looking over each other to see what was on it. Julia and Marie looked at each other quizzically before they both walked up behind the group, one of the nurses noticing them coming.

"Dr. Reynolds, Dr. Adams, you've got to see this!" Was all he could say, a panicked look encompassing his face.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Julia asked.

"It...they...you've just got to see it for yourself." He then pointed to the screen, motioning for several other to move to the side so the two doctors could see the news broadcast. When she caught sight of the headline, her eyes widened in panic.

**Earth Under Attack by Unidentified Warships**

**Casualties Predicted High, Evacuations Halted by Blockade**

The screen showed pictures of several different places on Earth being destroyed by giant, squid-like machines, one vid even showing a building in Tokyo collapsing as one of the machines slammed one of its arms into it. Then, a truly panicking sight nearly caused her to faint, a vid showing a large building with the words _Buckingham Terrace_ on the side, with part of the building on the top collapsed in on itself while the rest of the building seemed heavily damaged.

All eyes shot back to her as the sound of a datapad crashing to the floor rang out through the cafeteria. She couldn't move, she couldn't breathe, she could barely think, the only thought she could form in her mind was one word, _Mike.., _before she collapsed into a chair, tears forming in her eyes again.

The Migrant Fleet

The Ictomy

1:03 PM Standard Galactic Time

Palana'Koran paced back and forth in her room, rubbing her arms nervously. Though she'd prepared herself for months for the day her daughter would leave on her pilgrimage, she still wasn't quite prepared for her to leave, especially since she left without telling her where she was going and refused to answer her calls. Shortly after discovering that she'd left, Haal angrily sent word to any and all quarians to be on the lookout for her, and even sent word to any merchants or mercenaries that he'd pay handsomely for any good information on where she was. For a quarian to leave on pilgrimage in this fashion was not just embarrassing, it was unheard of, a first in quarian history. Palana didn't care about embarrassment though, she just wanted to know her daughter was safe. Then, a hiss shattered the silence as the door opened to reveal Haal, looking as angry as he had for the past several days. "Any word yet?" Was all she could say, wanting to hear his answer quickly.

"No." He answered simply, trying to keep as calm as possible considering the mood he was in. With his hands behind his back, he walked up to the window in their room, staring out at the many hundreds of quarian ships ahead of them, though not truly acknowledging them in his mind.

"Haal, don't be too mad at her. She was just-"

"I'll tell you what she was doing! She wasn't thinking!" Haal interrupted her, his anger beginning to spill out. "What is she trying to prove? That she could break tradition? That she was capable of leaving whenever she wanted? Or does she simply want to embarrass me?"

"Haal, don't even think of blaming her for this!" Palana's voice rose to meet his tone.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean! If you hadn't so blatantly rejected her gift the other day-"

"Palana, I told you two then and I'm telling you now that it was for her own good! She can't contribute anything to the fleet by painting! She needs to focus on her more practical skills, not smacking paste on a slab of paper or watching those ridiculous films of hers!"

"She loves her art Haal, you know she does! You can't change that, especially not by being so...cruel!"

"CRUEL? I'm looking out for her future! I don't want my daughter living the life of an artist! Constantly isolated from everything else, producing those paintings of hers for no reason, giving no one incentive to accept her onto their ship!"

"Well, she may never get that chance now. Because of you she could be dead right now!"

Silence fell across the room, neither person saying anything, simply staring at one another. Then, the sound of the door hissing open again caught their attention as another quarian entered the room, standing at attention. "Yes? What is it?" Haal asked.

"Sir, we've just gotten word that a merchant reported having a quarian passenger fitting Alaia's description."

"Are you sure it was her?" Palana asked, frantically.

"Yes ma'am, we even got a confirmed match on the designs on her suit."

"Excellent, make ready a team to head to that world and bring her back. If she's going to go on pilgrimage, she is going to follow tradition first. Now, where is she?"

"...Earth, sir."

Both Haal and Palana gave each other a confused look before Haal said, "What? Earth? Is she out of her mind?" He then began losing his patience again, pacing through the room. Though humans didn't have any open hostilities with the quarians, their reputation as thieves and beggars, as well as their creation of the geth made most races not trust them, making most homeworlds particularly hostile to quarians.

Palana thought for a second, then slapped herself mentally for not realizing what she had planned sooner. "Lore!"

"What?" Haal asked, confused by her outburst.

"Alfonso Lore! He's this human artist Alaia has been a fan of for years. She told me a couple of weeks ago that he would be attending this party on Earth and that she'd try to get there to meet him. Of course I told her that wouldn't be wise considering that it was Earth...but she seemed so adamant."

"Well, now we have to get her back here. Earth is too dangerous for quarians, the humans on that planet are notoriously xenophobic. If they find even the slightest reason to suspect her, they may arrest her. Then we'll never get her back." He then picked up a blank datapad from his desk and typed something on it before handing it to the quarian deckhand. "Give these orders to lieutenant Taio and tell him to contact the human ambassador on the Citadel so he won't be hassled on the planet, understood?"

"Yes sir!" With that, the deckhand left the room. Haal turned back to his wife, who was sitting on their bed with had her head in her hands, having exhausted herself from the stress. He sat down next to her and rapped his arms around her again.

"Don't worry," he whispered to her, "I'll never let anything happen to our daughter. I'll die first." Palana laid her head on his chest, but said nothing, only acknowledging him through a nod. "And...I'll try to find some way to make up to her for the painting, I promise." Finally, she looked up at Haal, a smile on her face, though one couldn't tell, and wrapped her own arms around him.

_"Captain, this is Taio, do you read?"_

Haal lifted his head up, looking at his omni-tool. "Yes Taio, are you ready to retrieve Alaia?" Silence fell on the other end, something Haal didn't expect, his lieutenant usually answered him immediately. "Lieutenant, I asked you a question!"

_"I know sir, it's just...a situation has developed."_

Both Palana and Haal grew concerned expressions from his apprehensive remark. "What kind of 'situation'?" He asked.

_"Something has happened on Earth sir. An attack of some kind. Large-scale...heavy casualties reported."_

At that point, Haal shot up, his eys wide. Palana simply froze in place, her body unable to respond to any commands, not that any were currently going through her mind, she was simply numb with fear. "An attack?...By who?"

_"If the reports are accurate sir...Reapers."_

Haal's mind went blank, thoughts were now unable to form in his head, the reality of what he'd just heard hit him like a comet. Palana was no better, tears began rolling down her face as she got up from the bed and ran out of the room, not even sure where she was going. Haal just stood there, not moving, barely breathing.

_"Sir...what do you want us to do?...Sir?...SIR?"_

His legs failed him and he collapsed on the bed, his eyes staring straight up at the ceiling.

SSV Patillo

Shanxi-Theta Relay

1:00 PM Standard Galactic Time

**Attention all hands, this is a code RED alert. Prepare all decks to take on evacuees. This is not a drill, I repeat, this is NOT a drill!**

As Captain Welch orders barked over the intercom, the many Alliance soldiers aboard the Patillo scrambled to prepare the ship for evacuation transport. Several groups of soldiers cleared some rooms of any unneeded furniture to make room for evacuees while others manned their battle stations in case they were pursued. In the CIC, the captain was talking with other higher ranking officers in the Alliance Navy, all of them trying to make sense of what happened.

"Have we gotten any word of any other planets being attacked?" Welch asked the others in the conference call.

"No," another captain, Juarez, responded, "so far, Earth is their only target, but if what Anderson says is true, that's going to change before we know it."

"Anderson doesn't know what he's talking about!" An older captain, Makasani, barked out. "He's spewing nonsense about ancient sentient machines and the destruction of all galactic civilization. It's obvious that the aliens are out to get rid of us!"

"With all due respect," Welch countered, "we have absolutely no intel to suggest that any of the other races are behind this attack. According to the reports from the planet, the kind of tech these things are using is far too advanced to be anything belonging to any known species."

Makasani's face was growing redder by the second. "How do you know? It's not like the turians or the salarians have been completely forthcoming about their military projects! For all we know they're in bed with the geth!"

_Why did they give this maniac a command? I don't have time for this. _Welch thought as he put his hand to the bridge of his nose. "Captain, at the moment, we have nothing to justify your claims, so if you're honestly suggesting we attack our allies while we clearly need their assistance, then I'm sorry to say that you may be losing your mind."

"HOW DARE YOU? I don't care if you have the same rank as me maggot, you will show me some respect!"

"ENOUGH!" The captains were snapped out of their argument by the image of Admiral Steven Hackett, who had entered the call a few seconds earlier. All the captains instinctively stood at attention and saluted the scarred Admiral. "I assume you each have a good reason to be squabbling at a time like this?"

"Sorry sir, we just had a disagreement as to the origins of the attack on Earth." Welch answered, still saluting.

Makasani put his hand down and slammed it on the panel in front of him, "Sir, we need to get some answers from the other races! Someone needs to pay for-"

"Henry! Now is not the time to start pointing fingers, especially since it's obvious none of the other races are behind this. We need to focus on saving as many people as we can and forming a strategy to fight back these invaders. Understood?"

The old captain growled under his breath, but acknowledged his superior's orders. "Yes...sir."

"Good. So far we've confirmed that around 300 million civilians have made it off Earth, with most of the transports being directed out to our colonies in the Argos Rho and Hades Gamma clusters, but those colonies have been filled to capacity, so around 500 thousand are headed your way. More ships will be there to meet you soon to help with the transport, but for now, you are to get as many civilians as you can onto your ships. Welch, your ship is going to be the first to receive groups of civilians. As soon as you hit capacity, head for Epyrum nearby, the turian's there have volunteered to give them shelter."

"Sir,-" Makasani nearly had his objection out when Hackett stopped him.

"Before you say another word Henry, I have no intention of turning down their help. Their colony is closer than Shanxi and has more space for our survivors. End of discussion. Juarez, your ship is in charge of security. Watch the relay and signal if you see anything come through. Our recon hasn't picked up any signs that those things are headed here, but we're not taking chances. Understood?"

"Yes sir. My men are ready for anything." Juarez acknowledged, saluting once again.

Hackett cleared his throat, obviously dreading assigning the next man anything. "Henry, your ship will stand by until the Patillo is done loading civilians, then you're going to take over for them. Understood?"

"Yes sir. I still don't like it though." Makasani said the last part under his breath. Hackett still caught it, but decided to leave it.

"Good. Once the transport's been completed and all civilians are safely on Epyrum, you will report to the Citadel to join up with the rest of the fleets ASAP. We clear?"

"Yes sir!"

"Yes sir!"

"Yes sir!"

"Good luck gentlemen. God knows we're gonna need it." Hackett then cut his transmission, followed by Makasani, who looked less than pleased with the situation.

"He's gonna be a problem, Bill." Juarez stated after Makasani was out of earshot.

"He's a soldier like all the rest of us Andy. He may not like where we're going, but he knows better than to disobey orders, especially from Hackett." Welch replied.

"I hope you're right, you know how he feels about turians."

"Believe me, I'm more than aware. He'll follow his orders though, don't worry."

"We'll see I guess. This whole situation has me completely off base. I mean, I know Captain Anderson used to talk about this stuff a couple of years ago after the geth attacked the Citadel, but to find out it's all true..."

"We'll get through it, Andy. Besides, you know Anderson's secret weapon will find some crack in their armor."

"I thought Shepard was put on trial for what happened to all those batarians."

"That's true, but the attack put the trial on hold. Right now, I'm guessing Shepard's going to be put in charge of a good chunk of the fleet we'll be building."

"You really think Shepard can get all these races to cooperate so easily? I'm not so sure."

"We can only hope, Andy. I'll let you get back to your duties."

"Alright Bill, good luck with the civies. I'm sure they'll be restless."

"Just worry about covering our asses, I'll worry about the civies. Stay safe out there. Welch out."

The holographic image of Juarez stopped, leaving Welch alone with his thoughts. He put on a brave face for the people under his command, but inside, he was less than assured of victory. _How the hell are we gonna pull this off?_

Down in the cargo hold, the first transport had hooked up to the ship and was now ready to offload civilians. Several soldiers were standing by to lead them to their quarters and to prevent a stampede. The second the doors connecting the Patillo to the transport opened, the civilians began funneling out and into the cargo hold. The soldiers quickly established order and began directing them to the stairs up to the mess hall. One of the last people out of the transport was a woman with mid-length red hair wearing an engineer's suit.

"Miss," a soldier called out, "follow me please. We're going to take you up to the mess hall, you'll have a nice place to rest until we get you to terra firma."

Samantha hurried up to the soldier and blurted out, "You've got to send someone for them!"

"Ma'am, we're aware that there are a lot of people still on Earth, but right now we can't do anything about it."

"No, you don't understand! My friend Nepturus is with them, they saved my life, all of our lives! You can't just leave them there!"

"I want to help you, but right now Earth is under blockade by those machines, we couldn't get a team down there even if we had the resources. But don't worry, I'll let the captain know that we have survivors at that location."

Sam wanted to insist they do more, but she knew that would be about as good as they could do at the time, so she relented. Sam walked to the stairs, joining the rest of the survivors from the hotel, and began ascending them. As she did, she heard one of the soldiers say, "Okay, careful with this guy, he's wounded.", before carrying the injured guard on the stretcher out of the transport.

Before she knew it, Sam was up in the mess hall, staring out at the vast array of sleeping bags laid out on the floor, as well as the line of cups filled with coffee and assorted quick-prepare foods. Sam didn't feel like eating as the only thought that went through her mind was Nepturus and the constant twinge in her stomach whenever the possibility that he was dead popped in her head. She picked a bag near the corner of the room, noting to herself how thin the fabric was, and laid down on top of it, wanting to sleep, but knowing she wouldn't be able to. As she laid there, her arms crossed and her eyes starting to water slightly for the first time since she'd left the planet, she whispered, "Please hang in there Nep...don't you dare die on me."


	12. Chapter 8: Tunnel Vision

Chapter 8: Tunnel Vision

"How much further, turian?" Tarok broke the silence of the darkened subway tunnels. "We've been walking for half an hour now and haven't seen a single exit."

Nepturus replied, "I don't know, it can't be too far now. I say we've probably traveled a good two miles at this point."

"Two miles? Surely we should have seen something by now." Mike observed. "A subway car, an emergency exit, something."

"It's so dark down here we may have passed an exit without seeing it." Nepturus answered, hoping that weren't the case.

"According to the old subway map," Alaia spoke up, "we should be getting close to one of the stations. There must be an exit there."

Nepturus swept his flashlight from side to side, attempting to shine the light to every possible corner of the tunnel. Eventually, he caught sight of some discoloration on the left wall. "Hey, what's that? Some kind of sign?"

Mike walked ahead of the others and inspected the wall in question, causing him to laugh after a second. "Pfft, sorry Nep, I don't think this is the kind of sign you wanted."

Confused, the others joined him next to the wall and saw what Mike meant, the discoloration Nepturus had seen was nothing more than old grafitti. Most of it was the usual anti-police messages criminals were known for, but some of it was of a more explicit nature. "Well," Alaia started, cocking her head at some of the images, "the art style is...interesting."

"That's one word for it." Mike replied, shaking his head.

Nepturus scoffed at the images and turned his head to the side, catching a glimpse of a reflection from his flashlight in the distance. "Hey, look at that. Something reflective up ahead."

The group turned and moved toward the reflective surface, Nepturus in front. Once they were close enough, they could see an old subway car laying on the tracks. "Well well, what have we here?" Mike asked, rhetorically.

"We must be close to the station. They wouldn't have stopped these things in the middle of the tunnels when they were put out of use." Nepturus observed, stepping to the side of the car to scan the area ahead.

"About damn time," Tarok exclaimed, "I was beginning to wonder if you'd gotten us lost, turian."

"I have a name, Tarok. Why don't you try using it?"

"Because that would imply that we were friends...we're not."

"Alright you two, cool it." Mike interrupted, "Let's find the station and get our bearings. Then you two can chew each others' heads off."

"Hmph."

"Fine by me, I just want to get out of these tunnels and into some air that isn't ninety percent dust."

"You guys should get air filters like mine. Fresh air 24/7!" Alaia joked, striking her cocky pose.

"You're right, girlie. If I need some later I'll just take yours." Tarok replied, half joking.

"You'll have to fight me for it." Mike added. "I feel like I'm about to hack up a lung here."

The group followed the train up the tracks until Nepturus noticed an open area ahead of them to the right. "There we go, that must be it." Upon entering the station, the four immediately noticed all the different ads on the walls, obviously over a century old.

"'The new Ford Chronos 2045, now fueled by solid H-3 fuel cells. Clearance prices as low as $75,000.' Whew, H-3 fuel cells? This ad is ancient." Mike commented.

"Hey, look at this!" Alaia said, pointing to a sign next to her, "According to this, we're in the Leicester Square station...wait a minute." Alaia pulled up her map of the subway tunnels. "That can't be right, that's nowhere near two miles from where we entered the tunnels."

"What? How could we have been walking for nearly thirty minutes and not have gone at least two miles?" Nepturus asked.

"We must have gotten turned around somewhere and doubled back." Mike theorized.

"Turian! I knew you'd get us screwed up somehow!" Tarok bellowed, his patience having worn out.

"Hey, don't blame me! It's not like I wanted us to get turned around down here!"

"Enough! Tarok, Chamberlain's not going anywhere anytime soon, so just cool your jets and we'll get back on track." Mike calmed the situation, wanting to avoid weapons being drawn. Tarok growled and walked to the other side of the room to cool off, giving Nepturus a threatening glare as he turned to walk away.

"How long do you think that's going to work? You know he's going to snap eventually. Then what?" Nepturus asked.

"We're all on edge here, Nep. Besides, it's either we keep him around or Alaia will give us the stink-eye. I'd rather deal with Tarok." Mike gave his signature grin on the last statement, causing Nepturus to chuckle.

"I heard that!" Alaia said, her hands on her hips.

"Let's just get moving! I'm getting sick of hiding down in these tunnels like rats." Tarok exclaimed, rejoining the group.

"Alright, Alaia, how far a walk would it be from here?" Mike asked.

"Hm, if the distance indicators on this map are right, about five or six miles."

"That's not too bad, how long should it take us?"

"If we walk...two and a half hours at least." The last statement was filled with a mixture of frustration and exhaustion.

"Ugh!" Nepturus groaned, "Well, the sooner we get started, the sooner we get-"

He was interrupted by a the impact of some kind of bolt of energy impacting the wall next to him, the shockwave nearly causing him to fall flat on his face. "Take cover!" The four ducked into the subway car, hoping to be covered from all sides. They each got out their weapons and scanned the tunnel for the shooter.

"Anyone see where it came from?" Mike asked, covering the south tunnel.

"I think it came from the north side." Alaia responded, her eyes scanning the north tunnel. The others did as well, though Mike and Nepturus watched the other side closely as well. After a minute or so, a familiar yet unwelcome sound signaled to them that they were in for another fight.

"Husks!" Nepturus shouted as he saw some of them charge towards the car. "OPEN UP!" The group unloaded a barrage of gunfire into them, being sure to focus on the legs and heads, though the darkness of the tunnel made it hard for them to be too choosey. Mike looked to his left for a second and noticed the doors were wide open. Though he didn't even know if they could close after over a hundred years, he ran up to them and tried to pull them closed.

"What the hell are you doing?" Tarok bellowed over the sound of his assault rifle fire.

"We have to close the doors, they'll just flood in here if we don't!"

"Hang on," Alaia yelled, "I'll help!" She shot up from her position near the front of the car and ran up next to Mike, grabbing hold of the left door while Mike grabbed the right and tugged as hard as she could. Nepturus and Tarok soon realized Mike was right, more and more of them were piling into the tunnel and they were slowly advancing on them.

"You guys need to hurry up over there, they're coming in fast!" Nepturus ejected a clip from his rifle as he spoke, never taking his eyes off the horde of husks ahead of him.

Before long, Alaia and Mike realized that they couldn't budge the doors. "It's no use! They must be locked in place!" Alaia yelled in frustration.

They gave up and rejoined Nepturus and Tarok, laying a spray of fire into the husks, slowly them down a bit more. The layer of bodies underneath the approaching husks began making grotesque squishing sounds as their comrades stampeded over the corpses to reach their targets. Realizing their ammo was running out and they didn't know how many they could expect, Mike turned to Nepturus. "Nep, we have to get out of here! We can't keep this up for much longer!"

"I'm open to suggestions!"

Mike thought for a moment as he laid down more fire, but he could only come up with one idea, that even he felt was a stretch. "Well...what're the chances we could get the train going again?"

Alaia then looked at him for a moment and said, "You're joking right? This car is over 150 years old and hasn't been in use for over a century! There isn't even power running down here anymore!"

Nepturus was about to agree when he remembered something. "Wait a minute...these old cars may have the Haslinger contingency generators in them!"

As Tarok switched to his shotgun, he yelled, "In words we can understand, turian!"

"They're small, hydrogen fueled generators used in case the cars lose main power! If I can get them going..."

He was interrupted again by a bolt of energy striking the car. They looked past the horde to see a large, lumbering entity coming in behind the husks. It had a face similar to a husk's, but it's body was much larger and one of it's arms was nothing more than a plasma cannon.

"What the hell! They can shoot at us now!" Alaia exclaimed.

"Nep!" Mike yelled, "Whatever you think you can do, do it! We'll keep you covered!"

Nepturus answered with a nod and scuffled over to a panel on the floor behind them, ripping the panel off. Meanwhile, the others continued their efforts to fight back the endless wave of husks making their way towards them as well as suppressing the new creature's plasma bolts. Nepturus began using his omni-tool to attempt to access the subway car's ancient computer to activate the generator, with little luck. He realized he needed to feed power into the computer to get anything out of it, so he set his omni-tool to deliver a moderate amount of energy into it, just enough to get it going for a minute. He pointing his hand to the console and zapped it, causing the screen to flicker to life for a second, but just as quickly turn off. "Crap..." He whispered.

"Nep...any time now would be nice!" Mike said as the husks were now getting close enough to almost touch the car.

"Give me a minute!" Nep turned the voltage up a bit and zapped the console again, but though it lasted for a second or so longer, it still died rather quickly.

"We don't have a minute!" Tarok unloaded another round from his shotgun, downing three husks with it.

Mike turned for a second to see that a single husk had managed to sneak past them and was nearing Nepturus. He brought his rifle up and shot the husk between the eyes, killing it instantly. Nepturus didn't notice, he was too focused on trying to bring the computer to life. "C'mon you stupid piece of junk!" He delivered a much higher dose of electricity to the console and finally the computer seemed to stay on. Quickly, Nepturus entered the command to execute the startup sequence for the generator. "I GOT IT!" Though he was ecstatic at first, his grin soon faded as he read the console's startup message.

_Contingency Engine Startup Sequence Initiated._

_Estimated time to ignition: 5 minutes._

"SONOFA-" Another bolt of plasma stopped him again.

"What's wrong?" Mike asked.

"It needs five minutes to start the damn generator!"

"Screw that!" Alaia yelled, "Nep, cover me. I'm going to bypass it!" With that, she ran up to the console and activated her omni-tool.

"Alaia, you can't bypass the time it needs to-"

"Yes I can! Just help the others hold them off for a few seconds!"

Nepturus knew better by now than to argue with her, so he pulled his rifle back out and rejoined Mike and Tarok in their volley. At this point, the husks were starting to get dangerously close to the door, prompting Mike to take up position near it to hold them off from there. Another shot from the new creature, which Nepturus decided to call a "gunner" for simplicity's sake, shook the car violently,nearly causing Mike to stumble out of the car, only stopping by holding onto the safety bar next to him. "Nep, Tarok, take that damn thing out!"

"I've been trying, human!" Tarok roared, "It's tougher than the others and it's out of range!" One of the husks attempted to climb into the car from the front window, only to be met by Tarok's combat knife going into its head. Kicking the corpse out of the car, Tarok then ordered, "Focus on the sides! Funnel them into a line!"

Mike and Nepturus complied and focused on either side of the horde. The husks, like Tarok predicted, began grouping more densely together in the center, allowing him to blast large groups of them away with his shotgun. Even with this new stratagem, however, the horde still seemed to be advancing on them.

"Alaia," Nepturus insisted, "just give up on that bypass and get back over-"

"GOT IT!"

"WHAT?" Nepturus yelled back in surprise, only to be met by the sounds of the car rattling to life. The lights on the control console blinked to life as well as the overhead lighting as the engines came on line. As Alaia rejoined the others, Mike ran up to the control board and pushed the throttle forward as far as it would go, causing the car to shake as it screeched ahead for the first time in over a century. As it slowly inched along the track, the doors finally began to close just as a few husks attempted to get in, only to be stopped short. Just then, the car began accelerating at a surprising rate, pushing back the advancing husks and slamming into the gunner, causing its blood to spray in through the broken windshield, covering the group in little splatters of the dark blue liquid.

Tired and chuckling from the stress, Mike said, "Whoo, heh, I thought we were done there for sure. Nice job, guys."

Nepturus sighed in relief and put his assault rifle on his back, looking to Alaia. "Yeah, it was close. How did you do that?"

"Do what?" Alaia asked, wiping droplets of blood from her mask.

"That console said it needed five minutes to get the generator going. How'd you manage to get past that?"

"Oh, well...I figured the computer wanted that time so it could run through some safety checks to prevent things like power surges and overstressing the engine...so I bypassed the safety protocols."

Nepturus was impressed, to say the least. "Wow, why didn't I think of that?"

"Yeah," Tarok said, his sarcasm coming back as he wiped his knife clean, "why DIDN'T you think of that?"

Fighting back the urge to retaliate, Nepturus shot Mike an annoyed look before noticing that the car was speeding up. Soon, it got more difficult to stand up through the shaking of the car, so Nepturus said, "Okay, I think we got away from them, slow this thing down, Mike."

"Gotcha." Mike grabbed hold of the throttle and pulled it back slightly. Nothing happened. So he pulled it back to the halfway point. Still, nothing happened. "Uh oh."

"What now?" Nepturus asked, groaning.

"The throttle's not responding." Mike pulled the throttle back as far as it would go and yet the car continued to accelerate.. He pushed it and pulled it several times until he gave up. "What the hell? This thing worked a second ago!"

"...Uhm..." Alaia said, sounding guilty.

"What did you do girlie?" Tarok bellowed as even he was having trouble standing up from the momentum the car was gaining.

"Well, I bypassed the safety protocols to get the car moving faster...but I think that might have caused the controls to fry a few seconds after they kicked on."

"You KNEW this could happen?" Nepturus asked, now remembering why he hadn't thought of it.

"It was either that or we hang around back there until those things overran us! So don't start with me about 'unnecessary risks'!"

"We can play the blame game later!" Mike shouted, "How do we stop the car?"

"Okay okay, let me think!" Nepturus said, rubbing his temples in thought.

"Think faster Nep! Turn up ahead!" Alaia shouted, pointing to the turnoff ahead of them. At the rate the car was going, the momentum would flip it on its side.

"Crap! What do we do?" Mike shouted, knowing they wouldn't be able to stop the car in time.

Tarok thought for a second, then moved to the left side of the car and leaned onto the wall.

"Tarok, what're you doing?" Nepturus asked, confused.

"It's a right turn, turian. Get on the left side and lean into the wall." The other three just scratched their heads. "JUST DO IT!" Not wasting another second, they all grabbed onto the safety bars on the left side of the car and leaned into the wall as he said. As they entered the turn, the car abruptly tilted to the right, swiping their feet out from beneath them and almost causing Nepturus to lose his grip. A metallic groan could be heard as the safety bar Tarok was holding on to struggled to support his weight. The turn ended almost as quickly as it came and sent the four survivors bashing into the wall, Mike shattering a window with his shoulder.

"You okay, Mike?" Alaia shouted.

"I'm fine! Nep, we need to stop this thing! What do we do?"

"At this rate, the engine will burn out in a few seconds, then we'll just have to-" Nepturus was stopped mid-sentence when a loud, metallic shriek started echoing throughout the tunnels, accompanied by a violent trembling inside the car.

Alaia, looked out the window and saw sparks flying past it. "Uh, guys...I think I see a problem!"

"Yeah?" Mike said as he himself was staring out the front window, "I see another one!" Just within view of the car's headlights was another subway car on the tracks, and they were just seconds away from slamming into it. "Back of the car, NOW!" Mike shouted as he and the others dived to the back of the car just as the two giant hunks of metal collided with one another, buckling their car halfway in and nearly reaching them. Shards of glass and pieces of metal and plastic flew around them as they covered their faces to avoid being blinded by shrapnel, or in Alaia's case to avoid breaking her mask, while they hung onto whatever was nailed down. The spine tingling sound of the the car's metal wheels screeching against the tracks became even more apparent as the car it collided with resisted it's forward momentum, the emergency engine beginning to smoke with effort from the extra weight and filling the car with exhaust. After a few seconds, they began to notice the car slowing down significantly while the engine began whirring down. Finally, the car ground to a rickety halt, leaving the four survivors the chance to finally breath a sigh of relief.

Nepturus chuckled nervously, happy to have made it through the ordeal in one piece. "Heh, is...is everyone alright?"

"I'm good here." Mike said, rubbing his shoulder and checking for cuts, finding none.

"I'm alright. Think I bit my tongue though. Ow." Alaia said, half joking.

"You idiots suck at driving!" Tarok growled, rubbing his head.

"Hm, condescending, insulting...yep, he's alright." Mike added, sarcastically.

"Shut up you overgrown pyjak."

"Glad you're alright too, big guy." Mike said as he brushed the bits of glass from his shoulder before approaching the warped car doors. "Well, we're not getting out this way."

"Move, human." Tarok said, as though it were becoming routine. With seemingly little effort, he slammed his fist into the door, sending it straight through them and allowing him to pull them apart, creating an adequate exit. "Ladies first." Tarok said.

"Aha," Alaia said, strutting past him, "I knew you were a gentleman deep down."

"I was talking to the turian." A subtle smile formed on his face as he shot a look to Nepturus, who groaned and walked past him.

Upon stepping out of the car, Mike noticed that the car had stopped not too far from another station. "Well, that's convenient." He observed.

The others noticed this as well and made their way towards it, this time being sure to stay alert with their weapons drawn in preparation for any potential battles. They found a stairwell leading up to street level and began ascending them, Tarok and Mike taking point while Nepturus and Alaia watched the back. A couple of flights up, they saw their first bit of daylight since entering the tunnels almost an hour ago.

"Finally," Mike said, "fresh air!"

As the group neared the exit, many sounds and smells began filling their senses, the sounds of sirens, gunfire, explosions, and loud, ominous tremors coupled with the smell of smoke, eezo, and something they couldn't quite put their fingers on. The door was enveloped in light as their eyes adjusted to the new light level. Carefully stepping outside, Mike was the first to get a glimpse of the surroundings and it made him stare out in silence. The others soon followed behind him and had similar reactions, Alaia gasping at the scene and Nepturus lowering his rifle in morbid awe. Tarok simply stood there and looked out at the warzone that had emerged, thinking to himself, _War is war, no matter where it takes place. _The London skyline, once shining and pristine with human ingenuity, was now filled with burning towers, clouds of unknown flying creatures in dogfights with Alliance jets and tiny glimpses of the large machines walking past them, only being dwarfed by a few of the buildings.

The street they were standing on was the eeriest part. They had expected to see some people fleeing in panic or at least a couple of military units securing the area, but there was no one, absolutely no one. The street was deserted, littered with damaged or destroyed skycars, one of which still contained its occupant, burned to a horrific heap. The sky above them was cloudy, mostly from the many fires that now covered the city. In the distance, they could see the Buckingham Terrace, which couldn't have been more than a few city blocks away, showing them just how little distance they'd traveled.

For a minute, they stood there, contemplating what they would do next, Mike's next thought encompassing the group's overall mood, _How the hell are we gonna make it out of this alive?_


	13. Chapter 9: Feeling Helpless

Chapter 9: Feeling Helpless

SSV Patillo

Shanxi-Theta Relay

2:15 PM Standard Galactic Time

Captain Welch looked over the report handed to him by a cadet minutes ago, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he did. It had been a little over an hour since they had begun taking on survivors, yet they had already filled themselves to capacity and were watching a fifth ship start their turn. He had been told that no more than several thousand civilians were to be moved through the Shanxi-Theta, but the Reapers had managed to block off access to several other relays in the area, so most of the refugees had to be relocated to them. "Ensign!" He ordered, looking over to a young woman manning the communication panel.

"Yes, sir?" She answered, as she was trained.

"Send a message to Admiral Hackett, tell him I need to talk to him."

"Aye-aye sir!" With that, she walked back to her station and proceeded to contact the Admiral's ship.

"Sir!" Another ensign came up behind the captain, saluting as was custom.

"Yes Ensign, what is it?" The Captain replied.

"We just got a report from mess hall. They've already run out of supplies."

"I'm not surprised. This ship was designed to house a few hundred men and women used to military rations, not over a thousand civies who expect a full course meal. Tell mess that we'll be heading for the turian colony as soon as we can and to tell the civilians to remain patient."

"Aye-aye, sir!"

The ensign left to carry out his orders, leaving the captain to stare out into the mass of transport ships littering the space between the five Alliance heavy cruisers. The sight disheartened him. He'd seen the hardship war caused first hand during the First Contact war and the Skyllian Blitz, but this was a whole new level. This wasn't just one colony world or system that was being threatened. It wasn't even just humanity. It was the entire galaxy at risk and the captain knew they weren't prepared for something on this scale. For what felt like the hundredth time to him, he rubbed the bridge of his nose, the many stresses of the situation continuing to pound his mind with questions, most of which he couldn't answer.

"Sir," the communications officer proclaimed, "I've reached Admiral Hackett."

Captain Welch pulled himself from his thoughts, _Back to work_, he thought. "Alright, put him through."

The holographic screen in front of the captain flickered to life, showing the scarred and aged face of Admiral Hackett, still as hardened as ever, despite the circumstances. "Bill, how's the evacuation going?"

"A little behind schedule, Steve. We weren't expecting all these civies at once. Hell, we were barely prepared for the numbers that were projected before those things blocked off the other relays."

"Understandable, but we don't have time to look back on that now. How long until all the civies are moved to Epyrum?"

"As soon as the Apollo is done loading their group on board, I'm going to move the Patillo to the colony as ordered, then return to backup the other cruisers."

"Good."

There was an awkward silence for a minute, Captain Welch acting as though he wanted to ask the Admiral something, which Hackett picked up on.

"Something on your mind, Bill?"

"Yeah, Steve...What's our battle strategy? I mean, you saw how those things just tore through our defenses. How're we going to fight back?"

The Admiral looked at the Captain as if he should have already known the answer. "Right now, we can only count on one thing to get us through this. The same person who pulled our asses out of the fire before."

"Shepard...I thought as much. What about what happened to all those batarians? Are we just supposed to let it go?"

"For now, yes. In my book, the Commander's a hero, but many others don't see it that way. Right now, Shepard's the only soldier I know of that can get us through this. We'll just have to have faith."

"Yes, sir. That's all I wanted to know."

"Good, give me an update once you've reached Epyrum. And Bill..."

"Yes, sir?"

"Don't think this catastrophe's going to get you out of our monthly game of Skyllian-five." The Admiral gave an uncharacteristic grin at that statement, knowing his old friend still couldn't bluff to save his life.

"Heh, no, I'm sure you'd find a way to drag me into that game even if we're both nothing but cosmic dust."

"Damn straight. You still owe me from the last game. Regardless, good luck out there Bill, Hackett out." The screen fizzled back to nothingness, leaving the captain with his thoughts once again. _As if this galactic invasion weren't worrisome enough, now I have to worry about Hackett taking me for more credits in poker. _He half-joked. _ This day just keeps getting better. _

Planet Tamaris

Eses Ventures HQ

2:15 PM Standard Galactic Time

"No, Dr. Pauron, we do not intend on desecrating the corpses in any way; we're archaeologists, not grave robbers." Narala argued with the doctor over her comm terminal for the millionth time, at least in her mind. She had nothing personal against salarians, but she found their need to be incredibly high strung annoying at best. She rubbed her temples as she spoke, physically showing her frustration.

_"I just want to make sure you understand how important these lands are to us. They're a piece of our cultural heritage and it is a privilege for a non-salarian group to get to study them. The last thing we want is one of the corpses to be disturbed and bring about an overblown response from some of our more...volatile residents."_

_Salarians...volatile? Yeah, and vorcha can quote Shakespeare. _She chuckled to herself as an image of a vorcha doing _Hamlet _passed through her mind. "My team and I understand completely, Doctor. We will show those grounds the same respect we would show if it were our own ancestors buried there."

_"Good. Also, you will need a team to secure the site. Though our world is well protected, you never know who might sneak through. I can highly recommend part of the salarian STG. One of their captains owes me a favor."_

"I appreciate the offer Doctor, but I already have a very capable security staff headed by one of the best in the business." A smile formed on her face upon mentioning him.

_"Are you sure he can handle the job?"_

"Trust me Doctor, I've seen him handle harsher odds. He'll keep the site safe."

_"Very well, I look forward to working with you and your team, Dr. Cantalin. Farewell."_

"Thank you Doctor, goodbye." She ended the call and breathed a sigh of relief. _I thought he'd never shut up. _She thought to herself. She took the tranquil silence in for a minute as she glanced around her office, which was adorned with several pieces she had collected over the years, including an ancient prothean tablet, some asari paintings dating back to the days before they found the Citadel, a krogan battle dagger said to have belonged to a legendary krogan battlemaster, and a human sculpture of the ancient Egyptian goddess Isis. That was her favorite piece as it had been a gift from Mike on her last birthday. She rested her head on her arm as she remembered that day.

9 Months Ealier...

Narala was hard at work at her desk again, the third night in a row since that cache of turian artifacts had been discovered on Palaven. She had spent the last three nights cataloging her group's findings, leaving her little time to sleep. She put the data-pad she had been using down and rubbed her eyes, trying to alleviate the weight that seemed to be accumulating inside them. She took a deep, tired breath, and was about to start writing again when her door buzzed. "Yes?" She said.

"It's Mike. You busy?"

Upon realizing who it was, she bolted up in her seat, shook her head frantically to wake herself up and tried as best she could to make herself look decent. The last thing she wanted was for him to see her half dazed and about to pass out. "Uh, yes yes! Come in."

The door hissed open, revealing Mike, wearing his usual cargo pants and white t-shirt, but lacking the brown leather jacket that he'd worn almost every day since she'd first met him. In his arms he held a package of considerable size, about as big as a krogan's head. Upon seeing it, she immediately knew what it was for and smiled. "Aw c'mon, Mike. I told you guys you didn't have to get me anything."

"Yeah, well, since when have I ever listened to you." His cocky grin became even more pronounced as he carefully placed the package on a table next to her desk.

She scoffed at the remark, "That's true. You never could take orders. So, what'd you get me?"

"Well, technically, we all got you this. I had the idea of what to get, but we all chipped in here in there. Some of us with money, some by calling in favors, but in the end, we got it."

"Ah, being cryptic, huh? Okay, what is it? A bust of my head? A trophy with 'Boss of the Year' on it?"

"Open it up and see for yourself."

Rolling her eyes and smiling, she got up from her seat and approached the package, examining it somewhat to try and guess it's contents. It was wrapped in colorful foil and tied up in an almost cartoonish red bow, _Mike's idea of a joke, _she thought. She then grabbed onto the two tufts of the bow and pulled, causing it to neatly come undone and proceeded to rip the paper from the box, leaving only the metallic crate. She looked over at Mike, who was sporting a friendly smile as he motioned towards the box. Shaking her head, she tapped a button on the crate and with a hiss, it opened. When she looked inside, she gasped, genuinely and pleasantly surprised. She slowly reached inside the crate and carefully removed its contents: a n ancient clay sculpture of the Egyptian goddess Isis. A genuine article, over 3,000 years old, bits of the original paint still present on its almost perfectly intact frame. She had always wanted to acquire one of these since she had read up on ancient human history, but due to museums on Earth refusing to export treasures such as these off world, she thought it a pipe dream. Narala smiled from ear to ear, figuratively speaking, as she examined the beautiful piece of art. Nearly speechless, she looked over to Mike and asked, "Wh...how could you have possibly gotten this?"

"Well," Mike explained, "it wasn't easy. One of the guys knew this collector back on Earth who already had a piece similar to that one. Luckily, he was willing to part with it for a decent price."

"You guys really didn't have to do this." She held the sculpture next to desk lamp, marveling at the craftsmanship.

"Well, if you want I could just send it back." Mike asked jokingly.

"Hell no!" Narala joked back with mock hysteria, causing Mike to laugh. She put the sculpture down on her desk, being incredibly gentle with it, and said, "Thank you all. This is probably the nicest thing anyone's ever gotten me for my birthday, and I've had plenty of them as far as humans are concerned."

"Aw, don't sweat it. Besides, we all chipped in for it."

"I'll have to remember to thank everyone personally. This is just...wow. Oh goddess, I'm geeking out right now. Sorry."

"It's alright. I won't tell anyone as long as you stop making fun of my movie posters. Deal?"

She laughed as she recalled the couple of posters he had hanging in his office, most notably the one with the man wearing the strange hat and carrying some kind of whip. "Deal. And...thanks again. Even if everyone chipped in, it was your idea."

"Think of it as repayment for that chance you gave me ten years ago. I was in a rough spot and you got me out of it."

"I'm pretty sure you've done that a dozen times over by now. Tou've saved my life more times than I can count. To be honest, when I first hired you, I thought you were just going to be standing around and annoying us the whole time, so I didn't have much faith in you." A subtle look of guilt came over her on the last statement.

"Well, you trust me now, right?"

"Of course, with my life." She looked away for a second, a dark purple blush forming on her cheeks as she realized how cliché that sounded.

"Good. Now, if I want any chance of staying awake for our trip to Ulbannur tomorrow, I need to get some sleep. Happy Birthday!"

"Alright, good night and thank you again for this. I'll put it in a special case in here."

"Hey, what are friends for? Good night."

As Mike walked out of Narala's office, she kept her eyes on him until the door slid shut behind him. She then returned her gaze to the ancient piece of art on her desk and smiled before returning to her desk chair and working on her reports, with her thoughts returning to Mike every few minutes until she passed out at her desk.

Present Day

"Narala...Narala!"

Narala snapped out of her memories as the sound of one of her colleagues, Septima Tenailos, shouted her name. "Huh, wha?"

"Welcome back," Septima giggled, "I thought you were going to stare at that sculpture until it turned to dust."

"Sorry, Septima, I was just...thinking about something." Narala rubbed her eyes as she spoke.

"Don't you mean someONE?" Septima smiled in a teasing way as she spoke, knowing exactly who her friend was thinking of.

"Hmph," Narala chuckled, "is it that obvious?"

"Only a little, the drool didn't help."

After hearing that, Narala checked her lip, but found no moisture, which resulted in her gently slapping Septima on the shoulder. "Very funny."

Septima laughed, "I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. Don't worry though, he'll be back in a few days. You know he can't stay away from you for too long." An almost knowing smile crept onto her face.

"Septima, don't even start. We've been through this before. Mike and I are co-workers and good friends, but that's as far as it goes."

"Sure Narala, sure. Anyway, you remember Matriarch Aethyta? Back from university?"

"Yes, she lectured there once about krogan dig sites she'd visited. What about her?"

"She called me a couple of minutes ago and asked me if we'd seen or talked to Liara T'Soni recently."

Narala's left brow raised at this. "Why would she do that?"

"I asked her that and she said she had something 'personal' to discuss with her and knew she'd accompanied us on several occasions. So, I just wanted to ask if you'd seen her."

"No, sorry. If the Matriarch calls again, tell her that I'll keep an eye out for her and she'll be the first to know."

"Ok. We're still set to go to Mannovai, right?"

"Twelve days from now."

"Ok, I'll make sure the ship's ready and all necessary supplies are ordered. From what I hear of Mannovai, their cuisine leaves much to be desired."

"Hmph, if you could even call what they have there 'cuisine'. Thanks Septima."

"No problem...oh, and Narala."

"Yeah?"

"Can I tell you something? As a friend?"

"Of course. What is it?"

"You know, humans don't live as long as the asari."

"...Yes, and?"

"So...if you wait too long to make your move...you'll end up regretting it." Septima then left the room, leaving Narala to her thoughts once again.

She knew exactly what she meant, and the thought of what she described terrified her. Asari can live to be around 1,000 years old while humans barely live over a tenth of that time. If she waited too much longer to 'make her move', Mike would either be too old to be interested in her or die without knowing. Narala felt ridiculous thinking like that as she knew he was only 28, but to an asari, even 80 years doesn't seem like that long of a time. Not wanting to think too heavily on the subject and depress herself, she decided to turn on her computer and check her messages. As she accessed the extranet and went to her message folder, she noticed a red flag on her 'News' tab, which usually meant a breaking news development. Curious, she pressed her finger to the tab, causing it to expand and fill her screen. As soon as she saw the headline, she froze, her face changing from neutral to petrified instantly.

**Earth Under Attack by Unknown Invaders**

**Casualties Predicted in the Millions**

**Alliance Military Calls for Mass Evacuation**

_"If you wait too long...you'll end up regretting it..."_

Her mind played Septima's words over and over again as she realized that she may have been right. "Oh Goddess..." One of the news vids appeared on her screen, showing one of the massive machines blasting an entire building to pieces while dozens of Alliance ships were helpless to stop it. Her eyes darted back an forth, her thoughts just as erratic. She didn't know what to do. The thought of never seeing Mike again, of never being able to tell him how she really felt, was almost too much for her. Tears began rolling down her face as she got up from her chair and paced frantically. _Mike...I'm sorry...I shouldn't have been such a...coward..._

_ "You've saved my life more times than I can count..."_

_ "I was in a rough spot...you got me out of it..."_

_ "What are friends for...right?"_

After only a few seconds of thought, she wiped the tears from her face, realizing what she needed to do. She left her office and caught up to Septima. "Septima, get the ship ready now. We're leaving."

Septima saw the serious look on her friend's face as replied, "Why? What's-"

"No time! I'll explain on the way. Tell all the security staff we have on site to meet us at the dock in 5 minutes. Any security officer who isn't there in that time is fired. Understood?"

Concerned, but still knowing better than to argue with Narala, Septima stammered out, "Uh, y-yes ma'am." She then hurried off to make the announcement, before turning around for a second to ask, "Where are we going?"

Without turning around her stopping, Narala simply replied, "Earth."

The Migrant Fleet

The Ictomy

2:30 PM Standard Galactic Time

"Sir, I understand how you feel right now," Lieutenant Taio explained to Haal 'Koran, "but what you are proposing is against every regulation set forth by the Admiralty Board."

Haal was pacing back and forth in his quarters, his wife sitting not too far away from him with her head in her hands, silent sobs emanating from her every few seconds. "I am the captain of this vessel!" Haal insisted, "I decide where it goes and what it does!"

"I'm not denying that, sir, but you have to think of the good of the people aboard this ship. Alaia is but one quarian, where as you propose to put over two thousand quarians in danger to rescue her. The Admiralty will never allow it." Taio had been trying to calm the captain for the last hour with little success, but now he was attempting to talk him out of sheer grandeur and practical suicide.

"That's my daughter you're talking about, Lieutenant! I don't give a damn what those bosh'tets on the Admiralty think, we are going to divert the Ictomy to Earth immediately and bring my daughter back!"

Taio took a deep breath and said, "Sir...Haal, you know that if it were completely up to you I would have already given the order to change course by now, but you know better than anyone what is at stake if you take an entire ship out of the fleet and head for an area that is so extremely dangerous. The Admiralty won't just court marshal you or strip you of your command, they'll exile you completely."

"I'm aware of that Taio, just as I am aware that I gave you an order and that I expect you to carry it out...NOW!" Haal's voice echoed throughout the room as Taio backed down from the argument.

"...Aye-aye sir. Right away." The Lieutenant saluted and left the room quickly, leaving Haal and Palana alone.

The couple didn't speak for several minutes, Haal continuing to pace while Palana tried to force the thoughts of her daughter's dead, mutilated body out of her mind. Haal's thoughts were not much different, but as a member of the Migrant Fleet Marines when he was younger, he knew how to control these emotions better than most. Finally, after what seemed like days to them, Palana finally spoke, "What will we do when we get there?"

Haal said nothing at first, he stopped his pacing and leaned his arm against the viewport, staring out into the billions of stars on the horizon. "I don't know. I just know we have to do something."

"What if the fleet tries to stop us?"

"They'll have to destroy us."

"Haal!" Palana yelled, disturbed at how much he was disregarding the lives of his crew. "You can't risk the lives of all our crew! Some of them have children of their own."

"So I am just supposed to leave my daughter to die?" Haal then slammed his fist into the wall next to him. "Dammit Palana, I have to do something!"

Palana walked up to her husband and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, "Haal...I'm scared too..." Haal turned his head to her, looking into the glows of her eyes behind her mask and seeing the extra glints that were so obviously tears. "But you are the captain of this vessel. Your first priority as captain is the safety of its crew."

Haal was more conflicted that he'd ever been before. He'd made hard decisions in the past, always trusting protocol and logic to make the decisions for him and always feeling comfortable with the outcome, but he'd never had to make a decision this costly. After a few more moments of thought, he turned around completely wrapped his arms around his wife, as she did the same. Palana began to sob softly again as her husbands embrace comforted her. Haal simply held his wife snugly as thoughts raced through his mind, none of which he could pin down.

"Oh Alaia!" Palana cried, barely containing herself, "My little angel...oh Keelah!"

After a few more seconds of thought, Haal came to a decision. "Lieutenant!" He called over the ship comm system.

_"Sir! I was just about to order the ship to-"_

"That won't...That won't be necessary, Lieutenant. The Ictomy's not going anywhere." Haal embraced his wife more firmly as her cries began to calm.

_"...Understood, sir."_

"Let me finish. The Ictomy's not going anywhere...but I am."

Palana's head shot up to meet her husband's eyes, which were now more serious than ever.

_"Sir?"_

"Lieutenant, I am going to Earth to find my daughter. Prepare a small craft for me and several marines and make sure it has ample supplies. Also, you will be in command of the Ictomy until I return."

_"I...ahem, aye-aye sir!"_

The intercom became silent as the Lieutenant went to carry out his orders. Haal turned again to the viewport, his hands cupped behind his back. Palana wanted to say something, how it was too dangerous and he might die, but she knew he didn't care. After several agonizing seconds of silence, she said, "I'm coming with you."

Haal turned once again to his wife, taking a stern posture. "No you're not. I'll not risk your-"

Before he could finish, his wife's hand had grasped his own, bringing them up to eye level to show him. "When I agreed to be your wife, I also agreed to share any risks with you. That includes our daughter. I am going with you, and I just dare you to try and stop me."

Haal wanted to argue, he wanted to convince his wife to stay out of harms way so that he wouldn't risk losing two people he cared about, but he saw the look in her eyes, the eyes that only a quarian could truly read behind their masks, and knew that she had made up her mind. He took his free hand and cupped their conjoined hands together before saying, "Truly, you are the bravest and most stubborn female in the fleet...or perhaps the second, but perhaps that is why I care so deeply for both of you. Gather whatever you need."

With that, Palana wrapped her arms around her husband again, Haal returning the gesture before she walked away to prepare. That left Haal alone near the viewport to stare off into the stars, pondering how it had come to this...all over a 'pointless painting'.

Adonic-5

Ripley's Hope General Hospital

2:30 PM Standard Galactic Time

"One cup of caramel tea and one cup of green tea, that right?" The hospital cook asked as he handed Marie the two cups of liquid.

"Yes, that's right. Thank you, Nicholas."

"No problem. Hey, how's Dr. Reynolds holding up?"

"Oh, she's still trying to treat patients, but I can tell she's too distracted. She almost gave a patient too high a dose of hydrosome half an hour ago. Luckily one of the nurses questioned the dosage before she administered it, otherwise he may have ended up in a coma. Poor dear, she was so upset about it she finished up with him and then nearly collapsed into my arms. I've never seen her so upset, though it is understandable."

"You think Mike's okay? I mean, I know he's tougher than the average guy, but you've seen the news reports."

"I think the only thing we can do now is hope and pray. Thank you again for the tea. What do I owe you?"

"Eh, it's on the house, you guys need it."

"Thank you."

Marie then turned and walked over to the table where Julia was now sitting, her head in her hands. Her graying hair was ruffled and messy, her once neat and clean shirt now stained with tears and wrinkled from the attention of her nervous hands and her eyes bloodshot and moist.

"There there dear, I brought you some tea." Marie said as she sat down beside her.

Julia brought her head up slightly and said, "Thank you...but I don't think I could keep anything down right now." Her voice was trembling, as if she was on the cusp of going into a nervous breakdown, which she very nearly was.

"You know as well as I do that you need something to calm yourself. Just take a few sips, trust me."

Though reluctant, Julia took the cup of green tea in her hand and, her hands shaking, took a small sip from the cup. She didn't even take the chance to savor the tea's herbal taste, she simply swallowed the liquid immediately. She then laid the cup down again and stared down at the table.

"Feel any better, dear?"

Though she looked like she wanted to answer, all Julia could do was look at her old friend and let loose with another volley of sobs. "Oh god...*sob*...it's my fault, Marie... He's dead and it's all my fault!"

Marie wrapped an arm around Julia's back and put her other arm reassuringly on her shoulder. "No no no, don't even think that, Julia. You had no way of knowing what would happen. You don't even know for certain what's happened to him."

"First Joshua...now Mike...I...I can't..."

"Julia, you know Mike. He's a strong, intelligent man. I truly believe he'll be okay."

Though she didn't look convinced, Julia lifted her head up and said, "Thanks Marie...I just...I just wish I knew where he is and if he's okay. It's so much worse not knowing at all."

"I understand. Look, why don't you take a break for a while. From what I've heard, the administration has gotten hold of a few more doctors from neighboring worlds, so you won't have to work like this."

"I appreciate that, but I need something to keep me occupied."

"Normally I would agree, but you don't want a repeat of that incident a while ago do you? Remember, your patients come first."

"I know, I know...Marie?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Tell me honestly, and don't patronize me on this...do you really think Mike could be alive?"

Marie thought for a second on that. She turned her head to the news vid showing on the holoscreen. She watched as the machines blasted their way through the cities, destroying everything and everyone in their sights. She then thought about Mike and all the adventures he had regaled them with. She knew he was capable and strong willed, but she also knew he was human like everyone else, and therefore not indestructible. With a sigh, she looked to Julia and said, "Honestly, dear...if there's anyone who could survive what's happened there, it's Mike. You just need to have faith."

For the first time in the last two hours, Julia smiled, albeit somewhat weakly, and said, "Thank you Marie. I needed that cup of tea."

"You're welcome, dear. If you need me, just message me. I need to get back to my rounds. Be strong." Marie got out of her chair and walked out of the cafeteria, turning and giving Julia a warm smile just before exiting.

Julia was then left with her cup of tea and puddle of tears. She wanted to believe that Mike was alive, that he had somehow made it out of that disaster unharmed, but there was a part of her that feared the worst. She took another sip of her tea, laid her head down in her arms and formed one final thought before passing out from exhaustion.

_Joshua...watch over him...please._


	14. Chapter 10: The Plot Thickens

Chapter 10: The Plot Thickens

"Where the hell are we, quarian?" Tarok asked, flustered as he looked around for landmarks.

Alaia activated her omni-tool and checked the map of London she'd downloaded. "Hmmm, if the position of these buildings is right...we're on Ladbroke Grove, which is about halfway between where we started and Gunnersbury Park. So, all things considered, we covered some pretty good ground in the subway."

"Yeah," Mike said, "but let's not do that again. I'm still picking shards of glass from my hair."

"I agree, I'd rather not have to hot wire another subway car." Nepturus added, brushing some dust off of his shoulder.

Alaia checked the E-ID tracker on her omni-tool while Nepturus was speaking, which then caused her to say, "Oh crap..."

"What?" Tarok asked, not liking how she said that.

"I just checked my E-ID trace on Chamberlain, just to make sure he was still there...he's not."

"Oh wonderful. Where is he now?" Mike asked.

"Hm, let me see...ok, if this is right...Buckingham."

"What? We went through all that crap down there to get here and he went back to the damn hotel?" Nepturus shouted in frustration.

"Woah woah, calm down. Not THAT Buckingham."

"Well what other Buckingham is-...ah dammit!"

"What are you idiots moaning about? Where is he?" Tarok asked, becoming annoyed at their vague whining.

"...Buckingham Palace," Nepturus said, rubbing his eyes, "he's at Buckingham Palace."

"What the hell is that?" Mike asked, just as confused as Tarok.

Nepturus rubbed his temples and answered, "It's only the most heavily guarded and defensible building in London. It was where the royal family lived back when England still had a monarchy before they were dissolved in 2074."

"So, what's the big deal?" Tarok asked, pulling out his shotgun. "We storm in, kill all of his guards, then I kill Chamberlain, and we're out."

"It's not that simple," Alaia said, reviewing some schematics on her omni-tool, "this is a basic blueprint of the building today. It's been made into a museum and it houses England's most valued treasures. The royal family jewels, original portraits of the monarchy, historic documents, even the preserved body of Queen Catherine. So, needless to say, it's got a lot of security. Look at this, sentry turrets, kinetic barriers in every doorway, security mechs, even some YMIR mechs; and those are just the things that are shown in this book, who knows what else they have in that place."

"Meaning," Nepturus jumped in, "if Chamberlain's taken it over, he's no doubt taken control of all the security in the place. If we just storm the place, we'll be gunned down before we can even get past the gardens."

"So we need to come up with another solution." Mike said, looking over the building plans.

"Exactly." Nepturus answered.

"I could probably hack the security system," Alaia suggested, "but I have no idea what software they use. I'd be going in blind."

"Well we need to come up with something or-" Mike stopped talking as he noticed movement down the street.

"What?" Nepturus asked, instinctively reaching for his pistol.

"There's something moving over there." Tarok answered, preparing his shotgun.

"Get behind cover." Mike whispered, the others quickly moving behind the corner of a nearby building, Mike at the end.

Nepturus and Alaia prepared their weapons as Nepturus asked Mike, "What is it? More husks?"

Mike peeked around the corner, making sure not to expose too much of himself. "I can't see them anymore, I only got a glimpse of whatever it was a second ago...wait, okay I see them...oh crap."

"What is it, human? I don't like riddles." Tarok asked.

"It's Roach." Mike cursed inwardly as he recognized the pirate who'd tried to kill him several times. Roach was surrounded by several of his cronies and they seemed to be taking the opportunity to loot some stores in the area. The group could now hear Roach barking orders to his underlings.

_"Be careful with that crap, it's expensive! You break any of it and I'm gonna break somethin' of yours. Understand?"_

Alaia quietly tip-toed over to Mike to peek around the corner. "The pirate guy you told us about? What's he doing here?"

"I don't know," Mike answered, making sure to keep his eyes on Roach and his goons, "but it can't be anything good."

"What are they doing?" Nepturus asked.

"It looks like their looting a store. Figures; they're stuck on a planet being invaded by monsters and they risk exposing themselves just to steal some electronics. Idiots."

_"Hey boss, why're we stealing this crap anyway, it's not worth anything to anyone on the outside!"_

_ "How the hell should I know? Chamberlain told me there'd be good money in it when this hell blows over if I help him get this crap for 'em. You tellin' me I should turn down free money?"_

_ "No boss, I'm just thinkin'-"_

_ "Well don't, I do the thinkin' around here, you idiots just shoot what I tell you to shoot and steal what I tell you to steal, got it?"_

_ "Yeah, sure."_

"Chamberlain sent them here?" Mike asked, puzzled.

"Does it surprise you that Chamberlain would take advantage of this situation, human?" Tarok responded.

"No, but why would he stoop to petty theft, it doesn't make sense."

"What are they stealing?" Nepturus asked.

Alaia peeked around the corner again and tried to focus in on what the pirates were taking from the store. "It looks like...computer equipment. Some sub-dermal implants, omni-tool processors...and what looks like some kind of signal amplifier...a big one."

"Woah, so why would they-" Mike was cut off by the sound of bullet impacting the wall across from them, followed by several other. This shocked the group to attention. "Crap! They spotted us." Mike said.

"You don't say?" Tarok replied sarcastically.

Just as quickly as the bullets started impacting the area around them, they ceased, leaving them confused.

"Alright, whoever you are, step out into the open now or we're comin' in after you!"

Mike and the others just kept silent, preparing to attack them if they approach. Then, they hear another voice yell, "Reynolds? That you? I know you're hiding back there you little pain in my ass!"

"Roach." Mike said, mostly to himself, groaning a second later.

"C'mon, Reynolds, peek your head out so I can blow it off!"

After a few seconds of thought, Mike decided to respond, "Jeremiah Roach! How long has it been? Five weeks? Six, since I kicked your pathetic little band's ass the last time?"

"You got lucky, Reynolds! And I've got more guys now! Let's see you pull another trick like last time with twenty guns pointed at you!"

"I've got help myself, Roach. Why don't you just tell me what Chamberlain wants with those computer parts and we might let you walk away with what dignity you have left...if any."

"You think Mr. High and Mighty Rich Guy tells me anything? I don't know what he wants with this crap, and to be honest, I don't care. Credits are credits, my friend! Now come out here and die with some honor before I have my boys here gun you down in that alley like the dog you are!"

Mike looked back at the others, "Any ideas?"

"Yeah," Tarok started, "tear his tiny little head off and shove it up his ass...for starters."

"I was thinking more along the lines of how to take them all down with getting shot."

"Hang on," Nepturus said, "Alaia, does your omni-tool have a harmonic generator?"

"Of course." She replied.

"Can you send a signal to the amplifier at about 300 hertz?"

"Yeah, why?...Oooooh." They couldn't see it, but a devious smile formed on Alaia's face when she realized what Nepturus had in mind.

"Nep, what're you guys talking about?" Mike asked.

"Just watch." Alaia said as she activated her omni-tool and accessed the harmonic generator. "You see, normally, a harmonic generator is used to test comm systems for any malfunctioning speakers or faulty signal receivers, but if I bump it up to its max setting and pump it through that amplifier..." Just as she finished her explanation, her omni-tool beeped, signaling that she'd made a connection. "Cover your ears!" She yelled as she reached around the corner and sent out the signal, making the amplifier shriek to life with a deafening high pitched frequency, causing Roach and all of his goons to yell in pain at the ear shattering noise.

"GO!" Nepturus yelled as he tapped Mike on the shoulder to make sure he heard him, as he was covering his ears at Alaia's request. The group jumped out from behind the corner and started firing on the pirate band, taking several of them down in the first volley.

Just as the group found some cover behind a large, crashed skycar, the amplifier blew out, halting the signal and allowing Roach to yell out, "KILL THEM YOU IDIOTS!" As he jumped behind cover, the others just looked at him in a panic, still holding their ears. "What're you doing, you morons! Shoot 'em!"

"WHAT?" One of his goons yelled out just before Tarok blasted him with a shotgun blast, killing him making the other realize what he'd said and begin shooting at the group and jump behind cover.

One of the goons took out a sniper rifle and started firing too close to the group for comfort. After his first shot ricocheted off the hood of the car Nepturus was taking cover behind just inches from his head, he yelled, "Someone take out that sniper!"

"On it!" Mike yelled as he peeked out from the other side of the car as Alaia sent a volley of SMG fire into two of the pirates, killing one of them and injuring the other. Mike caught sight of the sniper and came out of cover just long enough to send a precision shot at the sniper, hitting him between the eyes.

Nepturus saw this and said, "Nice shot!"

"Thanks," Mike replied as another series of bullets impacted near his head, "Tarok, how're you holding up?"

Instead of answering verbally, Tarok shot up from his cover spot and fired an overcharged shotgun blast at a damaged skycar down the street, causing it to explode and send four pirates flying like ragdolls. "That answer your question?"

"...yeah, yeah I'd say that covers it."

It was then that Alaia noticed that the gunfire from their enemies' side had ceased. "Hey, they stopped firing. You think they're giving up?"

_"Get the hell in the truck and let's go!"_

_ "What about Reynolds?"_

_ "We'll deal with him later, just get in and shut the hell up!"_

Nepturus stuck his head out just enough to see the truck the pirates had been using lift from the ground and speed off to the east. "We're clear, they turned tail."

"Damn cowards." Tarok huffed, disappointed that he couldn't finish them off.

"Good, that's one thing about Roach that I like: He gives up easily." Mike said, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"That was pathetic, even for a human...no offense." Tarok laced the last two words with obvious sarcasm.

Mike decided to let the comment slide and said, "Alright, let's see what all Chamberlain wanted them to steal." Nepturus nodded his head and ran up ahead to inspect the inventory the pirates left behind as the others followed him, making sure to watch his surroundings.

"I'm not here to investigate his dealings, human. I'm here to kill him." Tarok said, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, if we figure out what he's up to, we might be able to come up with a way of drawing him out. That would make your job a lot easier, wouldn't it?"

Tarok thought for a second, and reluctantly agreed with Mike. "Hm...fine."

Mike smiled, satisfied with his growing skills with negotiating with Tarok, until he noticed Alaia rubbing her hands. "You alright, Alaia?"

Alaia looked up and said, "Yeah, I'm just not used to firing these guns so much. The recoil is making my hands sore."

"What's the matter quarian, chip a nail?" Tarok joked as he put his shotgun away. Alaia said nothing, she just made it obvious that she was sticking her tongue out at him. Tarok then saw that her hands were really bothering her, so he sighed and said, "Your problem is you're firing them full auto all the time. You need to fire guns like these in short, controlled bursts."

"Yeah," Mike added, "it makes it easier to aim and gives your hands more of a break."

_Huh, _Alaia thought, _I do remember Taio mentioning something like that...never did pay much attention to him though. _"Thanks Tarok, I'll remember that." She said, shaking her hands a bit to alleviate their soreness while shooting him a knowing smile, much to Tarok's chagrin.

Keeping their weapons out, they approached the building Roach's goons had been looting. Nepturus was already checking out the book sized signal amplifier, which was smoldering from the intense signal that Alaia had pumped into it.

"Hm, must not have been rated for such a powerful signal." Nepturus remarked, waving the smoke billowing from the casing from his face.

"C'mon," Mike said, "let's check inside." The group stepped over a couple of dead pirates and entered the building they'd been looting. Inside was a basic store setup; a counter with an electronic kiosk, rows of shelves with display models of various technological bits, and a door to a back room that had obviously been busted down. Several of the lights were flickering on and off despite the power loss to the rest of the city, making Nepturus stop for a second.

"Huh, that's weird." Nepturus observed.

"What?" Mike asked.

"Those lights..." He pointed to the flickering lights just above the counter.

"Yeah, so?"

"From what I saw outside, all the power in the area has been cut off. So why are these lights still drawing power?"

"A backup generator?" Alaia asked, puzzled herself.

"Possibly."

"Why should we care about that, turian?" Tarok said, groaning with impatience.

Alaia jumped on top of the counter and proceeded to pull the light out of its socket, confusing the others.

"Uh, Alaia? What are you doing?" Mike asked.

"If I can -ugh- get this light -ughn- out of here, I can -ugh- use the power line to -huff- trace where the power's coming from." Alaia huffed and groaned with effort as she pulled as hard as she could on the light, only to not have it budge an inch. "Or not..." She admitted defeat.

Tarok shook his head, a smile almost creeping onto his face as he said, "Move, girlie." Alaia jumped off of the counter as Tarok simply reached up and thrust his fingers into the crease around the light, bending the flimsy metal around it, and then yanked the light out with little effort, wire and all. "Here."

He handed the light to Alaia, who just stared at it for a second before saying, "Uh, thanks."

"Okay, while you're doing that; Nep, you and I should go back in that room and see what else they might have stolen." Mike said, pulling out his pistol, just in case.

"Alright." Nepturus did as Mike did and pulled out his assault rifle as they approached the forced door.

"Fine, I'll stay here and make sure Miss Fixit doesn't start an electrical fire." Tarok joked, causing Alaia to give him a dirty look.

"And I'll make sure Tarok doesn't eat any of the equipment in here." Alaia smirked as Tarok let out a low scoff.

Mike and Nepturus took up positions on both sides of the door, Mike peeking inside to check for any pirates that may have been left behind. Inside the room, he saw dozens of metal containers, most of which were open, their contents spilled out across the floor. As was the case in the main room, only a couple of the lights in the ceiling were still clinging to life. Seeing no one in the room, Mike lowered his weapon. "Okay," He said, "I think we're good."

"Good." Nepturus said, lowering his assault rifle as well. He entered the room and knelt down next to an overturn crate and inspected its contents. "Hm, micro-processors...powerful ones too. I'd say Prodigy J-117 series."

Mike raised an eyebrow, clearly confused. "Okay, let's pretend for a second that I have no idea what that means."

Nepturus rolled his eyes humorously, "To put it simply, these processors are top-of-the-line stuff, one being capable of running 50 personal computers at once..." He saw that Mike was still confused. "In other words, they're really powerful computer parts, military grade even."

"Military grade?"

"Yeah. I worked with an earlier version back on the Destiny Ascension."

"Okay, well, that explains why they risked coming out here in the middle of all this to steal them. They're probably worth a fortune."

"Maybe..."

Mike caught on to Nepturus' uncertainty as he walked over to another crate, this one barely touched beyond being forced open. "Hey, what're these things?"

Nepturus got up and stepped next to the crate before reaching his hand in and taking out a coin sized circuit board lined with silvery, almost chrome colored circuitry. He turned it over and looked at the manufacturing number. "Woah, these are Carter-Glaceau series omni-tool drivers."

"Now these I've heard of. A friend of mine at Eses has been talking about these things for months. They're supposed to make an omni-tool a lot faster, right?"

"Basically, it also improves extranet reception from areas outside optimal channels and increase download/upload speed...hm."

"What? Thinking of taking one?" Mike nudged him with his elbow jokingly.

"No, I'm not that desperate for one. I was just thinking...these things would be worth a lot on the outside, they're in high demand right now."

"Yeah, so?"

"So...why didn't they take any of them?"

Mike thought for a second, realizing what Nepturus was getting at. "Hey, you have a point. They took this stuff, which would probably have been harder to push, but left the gear that's in higher demand. That's stupid, even for Roach."

"Unless they didn't take this stuff to sell it..."

"What're you getting at?"

"Think about it. They steal omni-tool processors, the signal amplifier, and those Prodigy computer parts, but leave the stuff that would have been easier to sell quickly. Why else would they do that unless they didn't come here for loot."

"What else could they need them-" Mike was cut off by his omni-tool flickering to life.

_"Mike, Nepturus, you need to get back over here now." _Alaia's voice whispered over the comm channel.

Knowing she wouldn't bother using the radio unless she didn't want to risk being heard, Mike and Nepturus pulled out their guns again and quietly made their way back to the front room, where Alaia and Tarok were taking cover behind a wall near the window. Mike looked outside and saw the problem; a group of husks were now swarming outside, seemingly preoccupied by the bodies of the dead pirates littering the road outside. Accompanying the husks were three of those larger, gun-armed creatures that attacked them in the subway. Mike and Nepturus joined Alaia and Tarok behind the wall.

"What the hell are they doing here?" Mike asked rhetorically.

"We're just lucky they didn't see us." Alaia replied, keeping her SMG's ready.

"What're they doing?" Nepturus asked.

Alaia peeked her head out slowly as to not catch the creatures' attentions. She saw two husks dragging one of the dead pirates towards what looked like some kind of tripod, positioning the corpse on top of it. "They're putting the bodies on some kind of metal stands." Just as she was about to question why, a loud (SHINK) sound startled her and she saw the tripod extend a long, almost fifteen foot tall spike into the air, impaling the body as it did and leaving it dangling from the top of it. Alaia quickly pulled her head back behind cover.

"What? What happened?" Mike asked, seeing that she was startled.

"They're...impaling the bodies on long, metal spikes."

"What would be the point of that?" Mike asked.

"Maybe some kind of psychological warfare, leaving the bodies impaled like that to scare any survivors." Nepturus suggested.

"Tactics like that are used when you want your enemy to surrender to you, turian. Not when you're trying to wipe them out." Tarok countered, sounding as if he had experience in matters like that. "Besides, the fifty story robotic dreadnoughts attacking the planet are more than enough of a scare tactic."

"He's right," Mike said, "but what other reason could they have?"

"Alaia, check out there again." Nepturus said. "Be careful though."

"Aren't I always?" She replied with a cocky grin before she slowly peeked out from behind the wall again, focusing her attention on the impaled body on the spike. When her eyes caught the body, she noticed that the body had changed somewhat. The veins in the man's skin were starting to glow an eerie blue, and his hair was starting to fall out in patches. His hands looked incredibly emaciated, the bones being clearly visible underneath his skin. Then, she caught something that freaked her out; a small, metallic tube began worming its way out of the corner of the pirate's mouth, working its way down and behind his head. Alaia then looked to one of the husks gathering another of the bodies, focusing on its face. Her fears were confirmed when she saw the two small, metallic tubes coming from its mouth, and the same eerie blue glow. She pulled back to cover and said, "Those things are turning the bodies into...more of them."

"What?" Mike asked, not understanding what she was saying.

"They're using those spikes to turn the bodies into more of those husk things."

"C'mon Alaia, that's not possib-"

"She's right." Tarok interrupted, himself looking out from behind the wall to the impaled bodies. "They're recycling the dead to make more of their foot soldiers...clever."

"How is that possible?" Nepturus asked, looking slightly worried.

"Who knows?" Mike asked, "We need to focus on getting past these things without those...gunner things taking pot shots at us."

"Gunners?" Alaia asked, a slight snicker following the name.

"Well what would you call them?" Mike asked, sarcastically.

"I don't know, something better than 'gunners'."

"Enough." Tarok said, ending the discussion. "Unless you idiots want to spend the rest of the day naming the enemy, I want to get moving before we lose daylight. So if you won't start shooting them, I will."

"I don't think we'll have a choice in a second." Alaia said, pulling her guns out again.

"What do yo-" Mike was once again interrupted by a loud blast impacting the other side of the wall they were using for cover, denting it at the spot between Mike and Tarok. "Oh, that's what you meant." Mike and Nepturus then ran passed the door way to the other side to get a better firing angle as the small group of husks charged the door. Alaia sent a few short bursts into their legs, slowing one down while Tarok finished it off with his shotgun. Mike focused on the gunners while Nepturus busted out a window and gave him cover. The four remaining husks got to the door before Tarok and Alaia could take them out, forcing Tarok to step in the door way and do a front kick into the one leading the charge, sending it flying several feet back and staggering the others.

Before he could finish them off, Nepturus yelled, "Tarok, look out!", and pushed the krogan back behind the wall a second before another blast from a gunner came careening through the door, decimating the remaining husks as it did, and impacted the wall behind the counter, sending various electronic parts everywhere.

Now furious, either at nearly being shot or from having a turian save him, Tarok let out a loud roar, came out from behind the wall and fired shot after overcharged shot at the three gunners, immediately obliterating one, blowing the head off the other and knocking the last one back against a car. Tarok then charged the last gunner while emitting a piercing battle cry, ramming into it with enough force the collapse the car around it, locking its arms in place just before Tarok blasted its head off with his shotgun.

The others stared in amazement at what had just transpired. The bodies of the creatures lay strewn about the street in pieces, the crumbled skycar containing the remains of the last gunner made subtle, crinkling noises as the metal settled. Tarok just stood there, breathing deeply in an attempt to contain his rage, his finger twitching on the trigger of his weapon. Mike stepped out of the store, keeping his weapon drawn and checking his corners, and approached Tarok. "Hey, big guy, you alright?"

Tarok turned his head slightly, acknowledging that he'd heard Mike, but said nothing at first. A few seconds later, he collapsed his shotgun and placed it on the holder on his back. "Ha, it's been a while since a fight made me go into blood rage. Must have had a lot of pent up aggression. Couldn't imagine why." He looked at Nepturus as he said that.

"You're welcome, by the way." Nepturus responded, collapsing his rifle.

"Hmph, you expecting a thank you?"

"Not really."

"Heh, you're smarter than you look turian, not that that's saying much."

It was at this point that Alaia said, "That was incredible. Wait...why didn't you do that sooner? We could have saved a lot of time if you had just turned into Rambo like that before."

"Rambo?" Nepturus asked.

"I'll tell you later." Mike replied.

Tarok rolled his eyes at Alaia before responding to her question. "Blood rage isn't something that can be turned on and off like a light switch, girlie. It manifests itself only when a krogan becomes enraged to the point where our conscious mind shuts off so our natural killing instincts can take over. Also, if I had done that earlier, there's a good chance I would have killed all of you, too." The others weren't sure if he was serious or just playing with them.

"Well, superpowers aside. We need to get moving." Mike said, getting everyone back on track.

"Yeah, we probably have only four hours of daylight left, and I'd rather not try and cross the city in pitch black." Nepturus said.

"What are we going to do about shelter? We'll need some place safe to sleep tonight?"

"Who said anything about stopping for the night?" Tarok interjected.

"Tarok, do you really want to try and cross London at night with zero visibility and a horde of bloodthirsty monsters stalking us. Not to mention those machines." Mike pointed to the horizon with those words, where a part of one of the massive machines could be seen blasting a skyscraper.

"The longer we take getting to Chamberlain, the more chances he'll have to get away!"

"And if we try walking through the city at night with those things everywhere we won't even get a chance to reach Chamberlain." Mike felt like arguing with Tarok was becoming routine, but it was a necessary routine in this case.

Alaia pulled up the map of London on her omni-tool and said, "Look, we'll start heading for the palace, with any luck, it shouldn't take us more than five hours from here. So we get as close as we can and find a place to sleep before it gets dark, then we'll have all day tomorrow to kill Chamberlain's crooked ass. Sound fair?"

Tarok didn't even feel like arguing with Mike or especially Alaia at this point, he just wanted to get moving. "Fine, whatever, let's just get moving. I'm tired of all this standing around."

With that, the group started down the street, heading east towards Buckingham Palace. Mike then turned to Alaia and said, "Maybe we should appoint you as our OTN."

"What's an OTN?" Alaia asked, giggling in suspicion that it was going to be a joke.

"Official Tarok Negotiator." Mike said, making Alaia laugh a bit harder.

"Hm, sounds important. Sure you don't want Nep to have the position?" She joked.

Nepturus caught this and said, "Oh yeah, that sounds fun. Always having him shove his shotgun down my throat."

Tarok turned to them and said, "In that case, you have my support. I could use a good practice dummy."

Mike and Alaia chuckled at Tarok's response as Nepturus just rolled his eyes. "Fate has a weird sense of humor, doesn't it?"

Tarok looked up at the sky, seeing the dozens of pieces of burning debris falling from the atmosphere, no doubt from the many ships destroyed by the machines now trying to destroy them. He then contemplated how he'd been thrown into the middle of all this and having to survive alongside the people behind him, "You have no idea."


	15. Chapter 11: Rest for the Weary

Chapter 11: Rest for the Weary

SSV Patillo

Epyrum

6:00 PM Standard Galactic Time

"Alright, everyone onto the shuttle! We've got more people waiting to board so please keep orderly! We don't want to start banging heads and elbows here! Let's go!" A marine ordered over the crowd as people were being lead to the dozens of shuttles down to the turian colony. The cargo bay of the Patillo was filled with people from wall to wall, all from different areas of Earth. Some wore simple farm clothes, others expensive suits. Some were wearing combat armor, thinking they could fight off the monsters attacking their homes, but found they were unprepared and had to admit defeat. Around this large mass of people were only a handful of marines, shouting orders over the loudspeakers on their helmets.

Among them was a lone, red-haired woman in an orange engineer's uniform, looking down at her feet as she unconsciously followed the people in front of her. _This isn't right...I have to go back. _Samantha looked over to one of the marines, a blonde woman, who was directing the vast crowd of people to their respective shuttles. She gently shoved her way past the crowd and approached her. "I have to go back with you guys!" She shouted over the hundreds of stressed chatters around her.

"Ma'am, I've already got enough to deal with trying to keep these people from trampling each other. Don't start giving me problems and just get to your shuttle!"

"You don't understand! My friend is still on Earth! I can't just leave him back there, I have to know if he's okay!"

"Yeah? You and every other person on this damn ship! Don't make this an issue and just get to your transport!"

Flustered, but unwilling to argue with the crass woman anymore, Samantha yelled, "Fine!" As she stormed away, she whispered, "Dumb, bottle blonde bitch." Just as she thought she would be forced to sit and wait on some random planet, wondering whether or not her best friend has alive or not with no way of knowing, she noticed an area unguarded by the marines, who were too distracted by the panicky civilians to notice if anyone were to sneak through. Without a moment to lose and only half a minute away from entering a shuttle, she took the risk and used the crowd to cover her exit, sneaking out of the mob and behind a crate. She breathed in a deep sigh as she looked around for her next move until she noticed an open cargo container a few feet away from her, just large enough to allow her to fit. Thinking quickly, she used her omni-tool to make the crate seem as though it was not to be opened by anyone but the captain, opened a small air hatch on the side and hacked it so she could open it from the inside later. She then jumped inside the crate and closed it behind her, leaving her omni-tool on to give her some light.

"Okay, I'm in...now what?" She asked herself, not sure what she'd do once the ship left. All she knew was she had to help Nepturus, and she couldn't do that from a colony lightyears away. As she squirmed around trying to get comfortable, she thought to herself, _Don't worry Nep, I'm on my way._

_An hour later, on the bridge..._

"You're sure all the civies made it off the ship?" Captain Welch asked a lieutenant while sipping on a cup of coffee.

"Yes, sir. We swept the whole ship after we dropped them off at the turian colony. Only authorized personnel on board now." He answered, standing at attention.

"Very good, son. Dismissed."

The lieutenant saluted and returned to his post as the captain returned his attention to the comm station in front of him, where a turian in a simple yet authoritative looking suit was displayed on the screen. _"It seems there are more refugees than we have room for, captain. If we take on any more we'll run dangerously low on supplies."_

"I understand, Trialus. On behalf of the Alliance, we thank you for giving as many of our civilians shelter as you have. We wouldn't ask you to stretch yourselves any further than this."

_"These are trying times, captain. Unlike some turians, I believe it would benefit everyone if we all cooperated like this. I have gotten into contact with several other settled worlds in the surrounding areas to see if any of them might help."_

"And?"

_"The leaders of the Lusia, Sanves, Erinle, Chatti, and Parthia have all volunteered to take on some of your refugees. So far the others either say they don't have the resources to help or..."_

"Or just flat out refused to help humans."

_"I'm sorry to say it, but yes. If it helps, most of those worlds are currently experiencing protests insisting that they help you, but I doubt we have enough time to wait for them to succeed, especially considering if what I've heard of the Reapers is true. If so, we'll all be in the same situation before long, human or no."_ Trialun's face lowered, not wanting to believe the stories he'd been told, but knowing he had to for the sake of the colonists under his leadership.

"Indeed. Again, thank you for your assistance and pass my thanks to the other worlds who've agreed to help."

_"I will. May the spirits protect us all."_ With that farewell, the screen switched off, only for another message alert to appear on the communications officer's panel.

"Sir, we're receiving a message from Admiral Hackett."

"Patch it through."

The ensign did as she was ordered and connected the admiral to the comm screen. The captain instinctively stood in a formal pose with his hands behind his back, even though he and the admiral were close friends. _"Bill, have you dropped the civies off yet?"_

"Yes, sir, we just unloaded the last group. I spoke personally with the leader of the colony and he's helped to secure more volunteer worlds to give more of our people shelter."

_"That's excellent news. We've also managed to negotiate shelter for millions of other civies, though it'll be a tight squeeze, and there's no guarantee that those worlds will be safe for much longer."_

"I suppose you called for more than just a status report, Steve?"

_"Yes, there's been a change of plans, Bill. Instead of joining up with the rest of the fleet at the Citadel, the brass has decided that we need to keep some of our ships close to our other colony worlds that haven't been hit yet. We want some fair warning in the future when the Reapers decide to push past Earth."_

"Are they crazy? The entire fleet over Earth was nearly wiped out! How're we supposed to hold them off if they decide to come through?"

_"It won't be a defensive role and if it weren't completely essential I would never ask you to do it. As it stands, the Reapers have knocked out most of our long range scanners near Earth, so if they decide to use the Charon relay and jump to the Shanxi-Theta, we won't know about it until they attack any of the colonies nearby. You're job will be to simply sit tight and keep watch over the relay, then jump out immediately if they show up. That...and there's still a slight chance more survivors may make it through."_

Welch stood there for a second, his eyes closed in deep thought. He knew Hackett was right, that the Reapers would decimate all the nearby colonies if a 'watchdog' weren't deployed near the Shanxi-Theta relay. It'd be risky, near suicide even, but he knew it was necessary. "Alright Steve, we'll divert to the Shanxi-Theta immediately. We gonna have any backup, or is this a solo assignment?"

_"I'd never ask you to do this alone, Bill. I've contacted Captains Juarez and Makasani, they'll rendezvous with you at the relay."_

_Makasani...great. _The thought of having to put up with the senile, crotchety captain made Welch's skin crawl. His face visibly grimaced at the thought, only slightly.

_"I realize Henry's a bit hard to get along with these days, has been for the last few years, but he's still an Alliance soldier, he'll follow his orders."_

"So people keep telling me...Steve, has there...has there been any word about Helen?" Welch's daughters's name reverberated through his mind. Ever since she joined the marines when she turned 18, she's done everything a military father could be proud of: got the highest marks in her class, soared through the ranks up to lieutenant commander, even got stationed as the head of her own squad...on Earth. As any father would, Welch worried about his daughter, but his duty came first, so he kept his feelings suppressed for the time being, but a father can only hold back so much.

_"No, I'm sorry, Bill. I've put out a call to all marine evac sights to let me know if they see her."_

"Oh...I see. Thanks, Steve. I'll let you go now."

_"Stay strong, Bill. Once the real fighting starts, I'm going to need you and your men at peak condition."_

Returning to his attention stance, Welch said, "Aye-aye, sir."

_"God speed, Captain. Hackett out."_ When Hackett's image flickered out, Welch took in a deep breath, sighing as he exhaled.

He turned to the helmsman and said, "Simmons, plot a course for the Shanxi-Theta relay."

"Aye-aye, sir." The helmsman, raised an eyebrow at the order, but knew better than to argue with a captain's orders. He immediately tapped on the ships controls, turning it away from the planet and starting a steady increase in speed towards his plotted course. "Entering FTL...now." With that, the view of the stars outside the ship gave way to a cosmic lightshow as the ship accelerated, as if the ship were swimming through a sea of light. The captain had seen this hundreds of times, but never took the time to really appreciate it, as before he'd felt that with his crew and his ship, they were nearly invincible, but now that that feeling was gone, he took in the beautiful display as he headed for the most dangerous mission of his career. Soon, his thoughts turned back to his daughter, whom he'd been told could have expected a promotion to commander within the next few weeks, and he closed his eyes once again.

Earth

London

6:30 PM Standard Galactic Time

The city grew dark as the sun set on the horizon, though it was barely visible through the clouds of dust and smoke that billowed out from the several destroyed or damaged buildings. Down on the streets, destroyed skycars littered the ground and only the sounds of groaning metal and the ominous, robotic hums from the distant machines could be heard. On one road, four shapes slowly and silently made their way past a crashed tanker, barely able to see with what little light the setting sun allowed.

"Careful, this thing's leaking some kind of liquid. Might be toxic." Mike said, being careful to step over a large puddle of dark blue, viscous liquid.

"Looks like eezo, this tanker must have been heading for the medical research center near Whitechapel." Nepturus replied, covering the rear.

Alaia carefully leaped over the puddle, grabbing onto Mike's shoulder for support when she nearly lost her footing. "Ugh, we're losing light. We need to find a place to stay until daybreak."

"Scared of the dark, girlie?" Tarok said, stepping over the puddle with no effort.

"No, I just don't want you to stub your toe out here and start crying. I know how sensitive you are." Her sarcasm made Mike and Nepturus chuckle, much to Tarok's annoyance.

"Let's just find a place to bunker down. I'm tired of listening to you idiots gossip."

"Who's gossiping?" Mike asked. "I was just telling Alaia about-"

"And I swear, human, if I have to be force fed useless information about horrible vids from the human stone age I'm going to have to kill one of you to remind myself that I'm still alive!" Tarok walked past Mike as his near yell caught the others off guard.

"Huh." Mike said.

"What?" Nepturus asked.

"I didn't take Tarok for a vid critic."

Nepturus shook his head, "Ugh, I'm too tired to make fun of him. Hopefully we can find an easily defensible place to get some rest." It was then that a low grumble could be heard from Alaia's direction, Mike and Nepturus turning to see her rubbing it.

"And some food, I'm starved." She said as the groaning in her stomach died down.

"Same here, I haven't eaten since this morning, and that was just a protein bar." Mike said, starting to walk towards where Tarok was, the others following.

"That'll be easy for you and Tarok," Nepturus said, "but Alaia and I can't eat the same things you can. We'll need to find some dextro-amino foods, which is not easy on Earth."

Upon hearing this, Alaia started to become worried. "Keelah, I forgot! They must have some dextro food around here. You lived her for, what, two years?"

"Yeah, but I had to have the hotel chef make special meals with dextro friendly ingredients. Hopefully, some places will have that for the tourist trade."

"Don't worry, guys, we'll figure something out." Mike said, patting Nepturus' shoulder reassuringly.

"Over here." Tarok said, pointing to a slightly open door next to him. As the others approached, he stuck his hands inside the crevasse at the center of the door and pulled it open, holding it open by pushing one side with his back and the other with his arms. "Hurry up and get inside."

Alaia and Mike moved underneath Tarok's arms and entered the building, but just as Nepturus was about to enter, Tarok flinched, almost as if he were about to let the door close on him. "Tarok, we don't have time for this, let me through." Nepturus said, getting in a defensive stance.

"Hmph, typical, we're all savages and menaces to galactic society from afar, but when you need us most, you bark orders at us like we're foot soldiers. I'm not even sure I feel like letting you in."

Nepturus was about to reach for his pistol when Alaia grabbed Tarok's arm. "Tarok, we're wasting time, just please let him in so we can secure the door."

Tarok turned his gaze from Alaia and stared Nepturus in the eye, the turian engineer returning the stare in full force. Tarok let a deep growl exit his throat as he pushed the door open fully, allowing Nepturus the slide through, albeit cautiously. When he was clear, Tarok grabbed the doors with both hands and slowly brought it to a close. Nepturus approached the door's command console and found the auxiliary locking mechanism, securing it from the inside. "There, at least the husks won't be able to get in here."

While he was doing this, Mike had been checking the corners for any signs of survivors or enemies. Seeing neither, he put his pistol away and tried feeling around for a light control console, the setting sun letting in little to no light through the several windows lining the north wall. He eventually found the panel where the light controls were, but found it wouldn't respond to his attempts to access it. "Ugh, of course, no power." He said with a groan.

"We might have to settle for the light from our omni-tools." Alaia said, activating her omni-tool and allowing the light to cast a shadow from the bottom of her mask, "Unless you boys are scared of the dark..."

"Heh, and me without my nightlight." Mike joked back, inciting a short laugh from Alaia.

Mike and Nepturus switched their omni-tools on, giving them some visibility in the medium sized room. From what they could see, they'd stumbled into a semi-classy restaurant, some plates of food still left to spoil on the tables when the invasion began. Near the back of the room was a counter with a doorway behind it, probably leading to the kitchen. Many of the chairs were turned over and several plates of food stained the expensive looking carpet.

"Hm, looks like we've found a Queen's Table, it's a string of restaurants around London. Looks like our food troubles might be solved." Nepturus said, walking to the door behind the counter. "These places usually keep some amino-dextrous foods around, just in case."

"In that case," Alaia said, "bring me back anything that can paste easily."

"'Paste easily'?" Mike asked.

"Well, since I can't take off my mask to eat, I have to turn whatever I'm about to eat into a paste so I can decontaminate it and pump it through my suit's nutrition system."

"Sounds...delicious."

"Oh yeah, it's the epitome of quarian dining."

Mike looked over at Tarok, who was dimming the tint of the windows to reduce the risk of their 'safehouse' being discovered. "You need anything to eat, big guy?" He asked.

"No." Tarok didn't turn his gaze from the windows as he answered.

"Okay, just thought since none of us had eaten in hours that you might be hungry."

"I can go without food for longer than most, human. Besides, knowing turians, he'll probably spike anything he brings me with a virus that'll make my quad explode."

Alaia cringed at Tarok's disturbing imagery. "Too much info, 'Rok."

Tarok raised an eyebrow at what she'd called him. "'Rok?"

"Yeah, I wanted to make a nickname for you and 'Rok sounded a lot better than Tar. Hah!"

The hearty laugh she had at Tarok's expense would normally have resulted in a shotgun blast to the face were she anyone else, but he just shook his head, groaned and said, "Whatever makes you happy, quarian." As he answered her, he finished closing the shutters on the windows, effectively blocking all visibility from the outside.

Tarok then walked to the wall opposite the counter and leaned against it, pulling out his old pistol to look it over. Mike leaned to Alaia and said, "How is it that whenever Nep or I try to try to talk to him, he either shrugs us off, insults us, or threatens to kill us, but whenever you talk to him he just goes along with you?"

"I guess he must like me. That and he has that vendetta against Nep. Don't know why he doesn't like you."

"Because he talks too much." Tarok said, checking the barrel of his old pistol as he did.

Before Mike could retaliate, Nepturus reemerged from the kitchen. "We're in luck," he said, "I managed to find some food we can all eat." Though it was good news, Nepturus' tone was still rather annoyed.

"You don't sound too happy about it." Mike noticed.

"I would be, except for the fact that the food I found is fish and chips."

"Not a big fan of fish?" Alaia asked.

"I can't stand fish. But I'm not going to complain about it in this situation."

"That's funny," Tarok said, shaking his head, "because it sounded like you just did."

Putting his hand to his temples, Nepturus looked to Mike and said, "Ugh, help me get a fire started with these antique chairs. I'd rather not risk getting an infection from raw fish."

"Alright, let's cook up some good ol' London cuisine!" Mike answered, mock enthusiasm covering his reluctance to eat the London food he'd been warned about.

15 minutes later

The sounds of utensils clanging on plates were about the only thing to be heard beyond the ever present noises of the chaos outside. The darkness inside the restaurant was offset only by the glow of each person's omni-tool, allowing them to at least see each other in the pitch black surroundings. Each person, save Tarok, was 'enjoying' their share of what stock of fish and chips they could find, which was just enough to satisfy their growing hunger.

"Well Nep, I gotta say, you are an excellent cook." Mike said, swallowing a mouthful of fish in mid-sentence.

"Thanks, glad someone likes it." Nepturus said, trying his hardest to stomach his amino-dextrous fish.

"Oh, I didn't say I liked this stuff, I'm just saying you cooked it well."

"Very funny. A real comedian, that's you."

Alaia laughed as she audibly swallowed another gulp of her fish paste. She was using a plastic bag from the kitchen to hold the paste as her suit pumped it into the valve in her mask. "Don't let him bother you Nep, this still tastes better than most of the crap I had to eat on the flotilla."

Mike finished a bite of the fish, getting past the less-than-enjoyable taste, and said, "What's it like living on a ship all your life? It has to get redundant after a while."

"Yeah, it gets old fast. Though not many quarians would admit that, seeing as we really don't have a choice."

"Why don't your people find an unsettled world and start over there? It has to be easier than floating around in sterile ships all the time." Nepturus said, subconsciously shuddering at the thought of being on a ship.

"I don't really know all the science behind that, but my mother once explained that, with our immune systems, it'd take us a couple of generations to adjust to a new environment, so we'd still be stuck in these suits and in far more danger of dying from a stray bug."

"Your mom sounds smart." Mike stated, remembering his own mother.

"Yeah, she has to be, she's the chief engineer of our ship, the Ictomy."

"So that's where the 'nar Ictomy' comes from?"

"Yeah, the Ictomy's a great ship. It's got a nice, wide open area near the bridge where you can get some breathing room at times, a fun crew, and I really love the shape of it. It was one of the first things I did an oil painting of back when I was seven years old...it sucked, yeah, but it was a start."

"Woah woah woah, oil painting? You do oil paintings?"

"Yeah, my mother would always find me painting supplies whenever we had to get other necessities from other worlds. I usually use my daVinci program on my omni-tool to paint, but sometimes it's nice to go back to the classic way of doing things."

Mike whistled, impressed. "Man, you sound like you know your stuff. The best I can do when drawing are little stick figures."

"Ha! Yeah, art takes commitment, practice, and a lot of hard work...some people just don't appreciate that, I guess." Alaia lowered her head at that, obviously sullen.

"Uh oh." Mike said, knowing something was wrong. "Let me guess, your dad, right?"

"That obvious?"

"Painfully." Tarok said, breaking the long silence he'd started ten minutes earlier.

"Ignore him," Nepturus said, "what happened with your dad?"

Alaia sighed, leaning her head back against the wall she was sitting against. "While I was growing up, everyone knew I loved drawing, painting, anything to do with art. I don't know what really started me off on it, but for as long as I can remember, I've wanted to create new worlds and people, y'know. My mother was really supportive, as was my grandmother, who used to say to me, 'There are not enough quarians with as beautiful a mind as you, my angel. Enjoy this gift the universe has given you, despite what others say.' What she didn't realize was that it's kind of hard to ignore what other people think when that 'other people' is your dad.

"He would always tell me, 'You need to start focusing on the things that REALLY matter in this galaxy. Slapping colors on a piece of paper will not get you anything but a stained enviro-suit.' He just didn't understand...he still doesn't understand. Ugh, Keelah, I'm sorry, I'll stop whining now."

"I wouldn't say you're whining so much as venting." Nepturus stated, trying to cheer her up.

"Yeah, I guess. All my life, he'd push me to be the best at everything, but not in the 'I believe in you' way, but the 'Don't disappoint me way'. Whenever I did something, he'd always ask why I didn't do it faster or more efficiently; and every time I painted something, he just acted like I wasted every single quarians' time. Normally I wouldn't be this upset about, but...it's just...I did something disrespectful and stupid because of his idiotic beliefs, and now...I may never see him, my mother, or anyone on the flotilla again. All because of that...that, stupid painting!" Alaia slammed her fist into the floor just thinking about what had happened the last time she spoke to her father. Once she calmed herself, she told the others what had happened before she left; the painting of the Ictomy, her father's reaction, the fight, everything.

Once she was done, Nepturus shook his head and said, "Man, all that drama because your dad didn't want you painting?"

"I know, I know, it was stupid of me...but I just...I wanted to show him that my art isn't 'worthless'. I just want him to appreciate me for what I am and stop wanting me to be someone else."

Mike sat there with a look of understanding on his face, "I know how you feel. My own dad didn't really qualify for 'father of the year' material, either."

"Oh yeah, you told me on the elevator that he was an ass. What did he do?"

Mike wasn't sure he wanted to fill them in on all the details, but decided that he could trust them with it. He took a deep breath and said, "Well, for the first few years of my life, he was actually pretty cool. He'd take me fishing near the lakes, play baseball with me, he even showed me how to work a gun when I first started learning. Heh, Mom didn't like that very much, but when you live near the edge of the Terminus Systems, it's best if you know how to fight, y'know?"

"I'm surprised humans even let their sucklings know what a gun is, let alone teach them to work one." Tarok said, sarcastically.

Mike just rolled his eyes and said, "Anyway, for a while, everything was great, we were all one big, happy family...then he started acting weird. He started missing things that were important to me, like baseball games, school plays, things like that. He then stopped taking me fishing and playing baseball with me, then he would disappear for weeks on end. He always told us that he had 'Business to take care of' and that he'd make it up to me next time he came home...that went on for nearly ten years."

"Ten years?" Nepturus asked, amazed at how long he'd put up with that. "What sort of business would need him to be like that for ten years?"

Mike opened his mouth to answer, but stopped short of speaking, fearing the embarrassment the truth might cause his family. Alaia noticed his hesitation and said, "Hey, c'mon, I spilled my guts about my dad, now it's your turn."

Mike chuckled at her fake seriousness, but knew she was right. "Well, for as long as I could remember, my dad was a raging xenophobe. He hated aliens with a passion, probably because he served on Shanxi during the First Contact War."

"Oh boy..." Nepturus said, shaking his head at mention of the 'First Contact War'.

"What?" Mike asked.

"Nothing, it's just that I've heard from so many humans that they don't trust me because of what happened during the Relay 314 Incident...that's what turians call it, anyway. I'm just sick of humans using it as an excuse, that's all."

"Yeah well, he did. Anyway, when I was about seventeen, I started getting suspicious about my dad's 'business trips'. He worked as a mining consultant, helping to set up mining operations on nearby asteroids. The only problem was, one day I called his boss to ask if he could have some time off so we could spend my eighteenth birthday together. The only problem was, as far as his boss was concerned, he'd quit working for him nearly ten years prior. It wasn't until I saw a news broadcast a few days later that I learned what was really going on...it was a news broadcast about terrrorist attacks on a nearby turian colony world, Aprodia."

Nepturus snapped his head up from his plate, a look of surprise obvious on his features. "Wait, did you say Aprodia?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I was raised there. Lived there until I turned fifteen."

"Oh...uh..." Not expecting this, Mike suddenly questioned whether or not he wanted to actually tell Nepturus anything about it.

Before Mike could give a real response, Nepturus' eyes widened. "NO...you're father...was one of the Skulls?"

"Skulls?" Alaia asked, wondering why Nepturus looked so shocked.

"They were terrorists that attacked my colony randomly in my last couple of years there. They nearly killed some of us during their raids," Nepturus then looked to Mike, "and your father was one of them?" He shouted.

"Hey, you think I'm any happier about it? Why do you think we hadn't spoken to each other for ten years? Or why when I tried to talk to him about it, he slapped me across the face and forced me to break his nose?" Mike paused after that, not wanting to air out any more of his feeling towards his father at Nepturus. He rubbed the bridge of his nose with his fingers and said, "I'm sorry, Nep, didn't mean to yell at you."

"No, no, I shouldn't have yelled at you about it...your father just...caused us a lot of grief is all. I don't hold it against you. I'm just so frustrated that he'd feel he had to do all that just to get back at us for the Relay incident."

"Yeah, why should humans want to get back at turians for destroying their ships and taking over their colonies? Your people are always the innocent party, aren't they?" Tarok said, crossing his arms.

"What? You think I approve of what my people did to Shanxi? Well, I don't! The captain in charge of that ship panicked when he saw a ship of unknown make messing with a relay and he jumped to rash action. If it had been me, I would have done everything I could to get them to stop without firing at them."

"And I guess you also feel the genophage was a grave injustice and that you would have done things different had you been in charge, right?"

"If you want the honest truth...no."

"What?"

"That's right, you heard me. The krogan pushed their luck after the Rachni wars by trying to expand beyond their borders, then when they didn't get what they wanted, they tried to kill everybody else in the galaxy. Hell, they started driving asteroids into our colonies just to prove they could. If we hadn't used the genophage, this entire galaxy would be one giant, bombed out crater and the krogan would have destroyed themselves along with everyone else. So do I think the genophage was the wrong decision? No. Do I think the krogan should still have to suffer through it? No. If you want to kill me, fine, but don't start calling us monsters when it was the krogan who forced us to do what had to be done!"

The room was silent after that, no one saying a word or making a sound of any kind. Alaia and Mike exchanged glances, trying to decide if they should jump between Nepturus and Tarok, who were just staring each other down. Mike was half expecting Tarok to pull out his shotgun and blow Nepturus away or try and kill him with his bare hands, but all he did close his eyes, cross his arms, and finally say, "Fair enough."

Nepturus was shocked, to say the least, as his thoughts were nearly in league with Mike's as far as what he expected the krogan to do. "Wait...that's it? No calling me a 'filthy turian' or 'suckling killer'? No sarcastic comment or shotgun blasts? Just a 'Fair enough'?"

"No. You're probably the most honest turian I've ever met. Every other turian I've ever talked to about the genophage has patronized me with their 'sympathy' and 'understanding'. The fact that you just openly came out and told me that you thought it was right...well, I was half expecting you'd say you would donate your left nut if it'd cure the genophage, HA."

"Um...thanks...I guess."

"Don't start thinking I'm starting to like you, turian. But...if I have to put up with you for a while so we might get out of here...at least you're honest." Tarok then pulled out his pistol and started looking it over again, obviously cutting off further communication.

Mike looked over to Alaia, and even though her mask made it impossible to see her face, Mike could tell she too had a stunned look across her face. "Well," Mike said, shrugging his shoulders, "it's a start."

Alaia shook her head as she disconnected the bag of fish paste from her suit and let out a loud yawn. "Oh Keelah, I need some sleep."

"Yeah, surviving a planetary invasion takes it out of you." Mike responded, his smile returning once again.

"Ok then, we'll need to have someone stay up to keep watch. We can sleep in shifts so everyone can get some rest." Nepturus said, stretching his legs out.

"Right. Any volunteers?" Mike asked, looking about the room.

Before he could say he'd do it, Tarok said, "I'm gonna need you idiots to be at your best if you're going to insist on helping me take down Chamberlain tomorrow. I'll keep watch."

"You sure?"

"The last thing I'd need is one of you passing out from lack of sleep or whining about aches all day while we're being shot at. Just get your sleep and I'll make sure the big, bad monsters don't get in to scare any of you."

"It's so great that you care, Rok." Alaia said, half jokingly, half groggily.

"Just shut up and go to sleep already." Tarok rebuked, pointing his pistol at her in a mock threat.

"Aye aye, sir." Mike said, saluting as he leaned his head against the wall, turning off his omni-tool to allow his eyes to be free from light, the others doing the same. "Good night guys."

"Let's hope." Nepturus said, fidgeting against the wall in an attempt to get comfortable. "Good night."

Alaia was already half asleep as she said, "Good night Mike, Nep, Rokey."

"Quarian..." Tarok said.

"Yeah?"

"'Rokey' is pushing it."

She yawned a bit. "Ok, how about I just call you Tarok. Satisfies everyone."

"Whatever. Just don't call me that again." Before Tarok knew it, the others were sound asleep, or as sound as the situation would allow. For the first time since the chaos began, he was alone again. He pulled out his shotgun and leaned against the wall, preparing for a long, boring night of guard duty. He contemplated the day's events; the elevator, meeting the others, escaping the hotel, fighting the hordes of hellish creatures. A single thought crossed his mind as he settled in for a long night, _If I die out here...at least it won't be boring._


	16. Chapter 12: Makeshift Diplomacy

Chapter 12: Makeshift Diplomacy

SSV Patillo

Shanxi-Theta Relay

7:00 PM Standard Galactic Time

_"This is SUICIDE! We should be joining the rest of the fleet, not sitting here like idiots waiting for those things to come through and tear us to pieces!"_ Captain Makasani yelled over the inter-ship comm system, causing the other two captains to roll their eyes.

_"Orders are orders, Captain."_ Captain Juarez responded, trying to remain civil.

_"Don't talk to me about orders, Juarez. I've been taking orders from some of the most respected Alliance Generals since before you were swimming through your father's loins!"_

_Charming._ Captain Welch thought, also trying to keep from just cutting the old captain out of the comms. "None of us like the situation we're in, Henry. But right now we need to just sit tight and get ready. Arguing over the comms is just going to distract us." _Some of us more than others. _

_"Hmph. Fine, we'll just 'sit tight' while those machines burn our planet to ashes and the damn aliens laugh at us. We'll see how much your precious alliance with them lasts once I figure out how they set this up. Makasani out."_

As his signal ceased, the two remaining captains breathed a sigh of relief. Juarez rubbed his temples and said, _"Did I ever mention how much I don't trust that man?"_

"You think I do? But like you said, 'orders are orders'. We'll just have to stick it out until either the rest of the fleet fixes this mess or the Reapers come charging through the relay."

_"Something's been bothering me about that."_

"What do you mean?"

_"Well, they hit a few of our colony worlds on the way to Earth, wiping them out. Then they hit our planet, showing that they could easily take and hold any planet they wanted right now."_

"Yes, so?"

_"So...why haven't they come through the relay yet? I mean, we've all been wondering, haven't we? They could come through and take Shanxi or even head for turian space and start attacking them, yet most of them just stay on Earth, like..."_

"Like what?"

_"Like...they're waiting for something."_

The possibility had crossed Welch's mind as well. He too knew they could simply come through the relay and there would be very little they could do about it. Yet they decide to stay on Earth and keep it blockaded..._like they're guarding it._ Though he didn't know why, he had to admit it fit the pattern.

"You have a point, Andy, but it doesn't matter right now. Let's just stick with the situation we've been given."

_"Alright. I'll-"_

Welch raised an eyebrow when his friend stopped mid-sentence. "What is it?"

_"Our sensors just picked up a ship coming out of FTL. It's not a Reaper...and it's heading for us."_ Juarez answered.

"What?" Welch went to his communications officer. "We picking up the same thing?"

The officer brought up her console and scanned the area. A blip showed up behind them, roughly 300 kilometers away and coming towards them at high velocity. "Yes, sir. From what I can tell, it's an old salarian cargo frigate, but I can't get a read on it's E-ID. They're definitely on intercept trajectory with the relay."

"Why would salarians want to- Never mind. Send them a message, tell them that this relay has been quarantined and no one's allowed through."

"Aye-aye, sir." She then opened a comm channel and broadcasted towards the frigate. "Attention unidentified vessel, this is the SSV Patillo of the Alliance Navy, you are entering restricted space. Turn your vessel around and vacate the area."

…

"No response, captain."

"Hmm, open a channel."

"Aye-aye, sir."

Welch leaned an arm against the back of the officer's chair. "Attention unidentified vessel. This is Captain William Welch of the SSV Patillo. You are entering space deemed unsafe for civilian travel. We are ordering you to turn your vessel around immediately."

…

"Unidentified vessel, this is your final warning. Turn your vessel around or we shall be forced to disable it."

…

"Prepare the aft guns. Target their engine systems, we don't want to kill them, just disable them."

The gunnery chief acknowledged the order and ordered the the guns to be brought online as the unidentified ship came into range. A crewman brought up the command console for one of the guns and proceeded to aim for one of the thrusters on the back with a low-wield shell. "Guns ready, sir. Low-wield shell ready for firing."

Just as Welch was about to give the order, a voice broke through the static of the open channel. _"SSV Patillo, this is the quarian transport Adrerea. Hold your fire, repeat, hold your fire."_

Surprise washed over the aged captain's face. "Quarian?...What the devil..." Shaking away the questions he had for the moment, Welch said, "We read you Adrerea, do you accept our order to leave the area?"

_"No, we do not. We demand access to the relay immediately."_

_Pushy, isn't he? _Welch thought. "To whom am I speaking?"

_"This is Captain Haal'Koran vas Ictomy and I demand you allow my vessel through the relay."_

_A quarian captain...this far from the flotilla? This just keeps getting stranger by the minute. _"Captain, I would rather avoid a diplomatic incident, but unfortunately I have my orders. The relay is under quarantine and no one is allowed through for any reason."

_"I don't care what your Alliance says, I need access to that relay NOW!"_

"Captain, the only system you'd need the Shanxi-Theta to get to from here is the Sol system. Why would you want to go there?"

_"It is a private matter, Captain. Now are you going to let us through or do I have to...what?...no, I'm handling...but...argh, fine, see if you can deal with them!"_

"Captain? Is everything alright?"

_"My apologies, captain. This is Palana'Koran, Haal's wife. I'm sorry for my husband's behavior, but we are in a dire situation. One of our people is on Earth right now. All we want is to get through the relay to retrieve her."_

"Ma'am, I understand your situation, more than you know, but we can't let anyone through the relay. Besides, your ship will be destroyed before you even breach the atmosphere."

_"Is...is anything being done to evacuate survivors?"_

"Well, after the initial attacks started, we pulled as many people off the planet as we could, but billions more are still trapped there. I'm sorry, if we had evacuated a quarian, I would have noticed."

_"Enough of this, Palana. I don't care about their orders, we are going through that relay!"_

"Captain, I'm warning you, if you attempt to access the relay we will be forced to disable your vessel. Now for your sake and the sake of your crew, stand down."

_"Excuse his outburst, Captain. My husband has a problem controlling his temper sometimes."_

_ "Hmph..."_

_ "If we cannot go through the relay...then can we at least remain here in case she arrives in another transport?"_

Welch thought for a second on this. His orders were clear: keep everything and everyone away from the relay while scouting it out. "I don't think that's possible, ma'am."

_"Please! I...just want to know if my daughter is safe..."_

_ Daughter? _Upon hearing this, thoughts of Welch's own daughter rushed through his mind. He knew the pain the quarians were going through, what most humans were now going through. He wouldn't wish this kind of torment on any living being. _Well...my orders were to keep people away from the relay...they didn't say we couldn't let them wait for someone here... _"Alright, but I can't run the risk of your ship being on its own if the reapers come through the relay, so I'd ask that you land your ship in our cargo bay and move your crew aboard. Luckily, we've got some spare room to accommodate your people."

_"That is not why we're here, captain! We cannot simply sit here while our daughter is-"_

_ "We thank you for your generosity, captain, and we accept."_

_ "WHAT?!"_

_ "It's the best we can do without foolishly endangering ourselves, Haal. If she is still alive, our best chance of seeing her again is to stay here and wait for her."_

_ "...very well, Palana. We accept your invitation, captain, and thank you for your understanding."_

"Good, I'll inform the mess hall if you need any special provisions."

_"No need, captain. We have brought enough food for a few days. We will begin docking procedures immediately."_

"Roger that, Welch out." Welch switched off the comm channel and approached inter-ship comm system to raise Juarez.

_"Bill, what's the situation with the vessel?"_

"Well, it's...complicated."

_"How so?"_

"It's not a civilian vessel, it's a quarian military vessel."

_"What? Why would the quarians want into the Sol system?"_

"The captain's daughter is on Earth right now. They came here to retrieve her."

_"I understand their desperation, but it's a good thing you_ _intercepted them before they got into- Wait, why are they approaching your docking bay?"_

"Well..."

_"Bill, you know it's against almost every regulation in the book to allow unauthorized personnel aboard a military vessel. Why did you agree to-"_

"It's their daughter, Andy. If I don't let them stay under our custody, they'll just try to get through anyway."

_"How do you know?"_

"Because it's what I'd do if I could."

_"Oh...Bill, I...", _Juarez paused for a second, realizing Welch's motivations. Knowing he couldn't talk him out of it, he gave in and said, _"Hm, Makasani's going to love this. He already thinks every alien in the galaxy planned this entire invasion."_

"Makasani can deal with it. As of this point, this has become a diplomatic mission. The last thing we need is to start some bad blood with the Migrant Fleet."

_"That, and you sympathize with them."_

"Tomato, tomahto. They're docking now, I'm heading down to greet them."

_"Alright, but if Makasani starts bitching about this, I'm transferring him over to you."_

"Fair enough. Welch out."

The captain deactivated the comm channel as he turned towards the elevator. As he entered the elevator, he breathed in a stressful sigh, knowing that the situation had just gotten much more complicated. "Docking bay." He said, signaling the elevator to descend to the lower levels of the frigate. In little time, the ride was over and the doors opened to reveal the docking bay, with only a handful of personnel on hand in the area, with most of them taking glances at the quarian ship freshly docked inside. Welch could now get a good look at the vessel, and he was just amazed it wasn't falling apart at the seems.

He could tell that the ship was originally salarian in make, but had been retrofitted with several modifications to keep it spaceworthy. Though he was impressed with the quarians' ability to take any ship and suit it to their needs, he had to wonder how sad it is to only be able to afford old, broken down vessels like that and have to live in them. As he walked by the Patillo's crewmen, they instinctively saluted him, to which he said, "At ease, people. This isn't a ceremony." They promptly relaxed themselves. A couple of marines had taken positions in front of the door, guns in hand. The captain grabbed one marine's gun and lowered it, saying, "They're not Reapers, son. Stand down."

The door to the shuttle opened as the marines put their weapons away, revealing the quarian captain, his wife, and seven quarian marines behind them. Haal stood respectfully with his hands behind his back and said, "Permission to come aboard, Captain?" He was clearly concealing the frustration he felt behind his formalities.

"Permission granted." Welch said, nodding his head slightly as he did. The quarians stepped off the ship, Haal leading the exit with his wife beside him. The quarian marines exited seconds after, some giving suspicious looks to the humans staring at them from around the docking bay; a look which the human marines returned.

Haal stepped up to Captain Welch and said, "Where shall we be staying for the duration of our visit, or are we to simply huddle together in our transport?"

"I admit, Captain, this is a military vessel, so we don't have what many would call 'luxurious accomodations', but I'm sure we can find a comfortable enough place for your people to rest their heads." Welch answered, noting the edge in the quarian captain's voice.

"Very well. Thank you." Haal clearly didn't feel like talking any further, so Captain Welch whistled to a cadet checking a cargo crate.

"Cadet Jones!"

Jones stopped what he was doing, nearly dropping a crate in the process and cursing to himself quietly before answering, "Sir!"

"Escort our guests to the living quarters on Deck 3. There should be plenty of room up there for them."

"Aye aye, sir!" Jones approached the quarians and said, "If you'll follow me, sir."

Haal groaned quietly to himself before signaling the quarian marines to follow him. He then noticed that Palana wasn't following. "Something wrong, 'Lana?"

"Go on ahead, dear. I need to discuss something briefly with the Captain."

"Very well. Don't be too long, my love." With that, Haal and the quarian marines continued to follow Cadet Jones into the elevator, the doors closing behind them.

Palana turned back to Captain Welch, "Again, I must apologize for my husband's behavior. He's usually not this rude."

"No apologies are necessary, Ms. Koran. This situation has us all a bit on edge."

"I know, it's just...he would never show it externally, but he's worried sick about our daughter, as am I."

"If you don't mind my asking, what was your daughter doing on Earth? It seems an awfully long way from the flotilla."

"Well, technically she was on her pilgrimage, it's our people's rite into adulthood."

"Technically?"

"Well, for most quarian ships, there is no big ceremony for when a child leaves on their pilgrimage, but for as long as quarians have lived on our ship, the Ictomy, there has been an unwritten rule that some ceremony be given. It's a tradition for us. My daughter left early, bypassing this ceremony."

"Any particular reason?"

"She and her father had a...disagreement regarding her passions in life. My daughter, Alaia...she's an artist, and a talented one at that. Heh, ever since she was a little girl, she's loved to create beautiful images and hang them up in her room, her own little art gallery..." At this point, Palana was beginning to choke up.

"I'm sorry if I upset you."

"Oh, don't be, I'm a mother, it's my job to cry every once in a while. Anyway, Haal...well, he didn't want her to be an artist, he feels it's a useless pursuit. He just doesn't understand why she loves it so."

"Hm, I can relate to that in a way. When I was growing up, my father was a farmer out in the fringe colony worlds. He wanted me to stay home when I came of age and help him on the farm, but I wanted to join the Alliance, make a difference in the galaxy. We had a falling out of our own, but we managed to patch things up a little while before he passed on."

"I can only hope at this point that Haal and Alaia get that chance. I love Haal so much, and I know he loves Alaia deeply, but he has always been a very serious man, and sometimes his personality can seem a bit abrasive to some."

"Not to worry, ma'am. I'm used to dealing with abrasive personalities." _Very abrasive even. _Welch thought, remembering that he could expect a call from Makasani sometime soon.

"Thank you, Captain. I'd better get back to Haal, he may not admit it to his men, but he needs comfort right now."

"That I can understa-" Welch was interrupted by a loud clang, causing him to look to the source. A marine was trying to force a crate open with a crowbar with little success. Shaking his head in amusement, the Captain said, "Excuse me.", and approached the marine, allowing Palana to take her leave. Upon reaching the marine, who hadn't noticed his approach, Welch said, "Is there a problem, Cadet?"

The marine, Cadet Lucy Miles, stopped in mid-struggle and turned her head to her commanding officer. "Uh...no, sir! Just having trouble with this crate, it won't respond to the unlock codes and it won't let me override it." While finishing her explanation, she once again tried to force the crate open with the crowbar, again meeting no progress.

"Any idea why it would malfunction like this?"

"Got me, sir."

"Hm, I'll see if I can find someone to help you out once I deal with some business."

"Thank you, sir. I'll keep...HNG...trying...GAH...in the mean time." As Cadet Miles gave up on her efforts with the crowbar, she next activated her omni-tool and tried again to override it.

"As you were, Cadet." As he walked away, a small smile formed on his face. _Thanks kid, I need a bit of humor right now. _The smile soon faded as he entered the elevator and heard his comm officer call him over the PA system.

_"Captain, I've got a priority hail from the SSV Saratoga."_

_ Makasani...damnit. _"I'll be right there. He sound angry?"

_"If I may be so bold, sir, when does he not?"_

"Heh, good point. Put it up when I get to the bridge."

_"Aye-aye, sir."_

At this point, Welch put his hands to his face, groaning into them in preparation for the idiocy he was about to put up with. The elevator rose closer to the bridge, giving him a few seconds to figure out a quick way out of the impending conversation, as well as to think about his daughter, who had occupied his thoughts constantly since the invasion began. Soon, however, the elevator stopped and the doors pulled open, revealing the holographic image of Captain Makasani on the comm center. Before Welch could even open his mouth or exit the elevator, the elder captain said, "Welch, are you out of your damn mind? Letting quarian militia onto an Alliance vessel?"

"It was either that or they'd risk trying to get through us and to the relay. We'd then be forced to disable their ship and it could cause a diplomatic incident that we can't afford right now." Welch did his best to hide his empathetic motives from Makasani, as he knew he'd just use it as more ammunition for his shouting spree.

"Do I look like I give a damn about those germaphobic suit-rats? For all we know, they helped build those things tearing our planet apart! I demand you get them off that ship!"

"With all due respect...Captain, this is MY ship, and I will do what I think is best in command of it. You may have more years under your belt, but don't think yourself in a position to 'demand' anything of me."

"Regulations clearly state that-"

"I'm more than aware of our regulations. I'm also aware that we're in a state of emergency and we should focus on staying alive and finding a way to fight off the reapers, not bickering over petty things like this."

"Now you listen to me-"

"IF you're done trying to tell me how to run my ship, I suggest you get back to running your own, because I have more important things to do than argue with you over protocol."

"When Hackett hears about this-"

"He'll tell you to stop bothering him with miniscule protocol violations when he's busy trying to stop a galactic invasion fleet. So, by all means, go right ahead."

Makasani's face was that of pure frustration and rage, so much so that he didn't even bother responding or signing off, he simply cut his comm feed. Welch wiped a bead of sweat from his brow, somewhat proud of how he'd handled the situation without outright insulting the elderly captain.

The comms officer, Bella Jacobs, broke the silence by going, "Permission to speak freely, sir?"

Interested, Welch replied, "Granted."

With a smile on her face, Jacobs said, "It's about time someone put him in his place."

"You're talking about a superior officer, Private."

"Yes, sir." Thinking she'd crossed the line, she returned to her original position on the comm station.

"And I agree with you."

Knowing she'd been teased, the smile returned to her face. "Thank you, sir."

As soon as the lighthearted moment had come, it passed just as quickly as a blip appeared on the ship's long range scans. "What is it, Jacobs?"

Bella tapped the interface and brought up a list of info on the object in question. "Hm, another transport vessel...asari make...E-ID matches it to a company called 'Eses Ventures', an archaeological group."

"Let me guess," the Captain sighed, "they're headed for the relay."

"It looks that way, sir."

"Hail them and tell them to vacate the area. I've already got Makasani breathing down my neck about our quarian guests, I don't need to hand him any more reasons to pester me."

"Aye-aye, si- Um, I don't think hailing them will be necessary."

"Why? They leaving?"

"No, sir, they've stopped...and they're hailing us."

This caught the captain off guard, expecting another near-hostile experience. "Hm, patch them through."

"Aye-aye, sir."

Static erupted from the comm system as a garbled voice started to focus into a feminine voice. _"I repeat, this is Narala Cantalin requesting passage through the Shanxi-Theta relay. Do you copy?"_

Jacobs answered her request. "Ms. Cantalin, this is the SSV Patillo. I regret to inform you that this relay has been quarantined due to the invasion of the Sol system. We would ask that you vacate the area immediately."

_"I can't do that. One of my employees is on Earth right now. You have to let me through."_

"We understand your difficulties, Ms. Cantalin, but unfortunately we cannot allow anyone passage through the relay at this time. It's for your own safety."

_"Ugh, do you at least know if he's been evacuated from the planet? His name is Mike Reynolds."_

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but we don't have a full list of-"

"Hold it!" The captain stopped her, the name catching him off guard. "Ms. Cantalin, this is Captain William Welch of the Patillo. Did you say Mike Reynolds is on Earth right now?"

_"Yes he is. Do you know him?"_

The captain paused for a second, then replied, "Stand by." He walked away from the console, a hand rubbing the lower part of his face in thought. _Joshua's son...what the hell is he... _The old soldier took in a deep breath, unsure of what to make of the situation. Several deckhands looked to their captain, surprised at his reaction to that name. After almost a minute, the captain returned to the console and said, "Ms. Cantalin, I cannot allow you to pass through the relay, you'd be destroyed before you hit Earth's atmosphere. I'm sorry."

_"...okay."_

"Excuse me?" Welch smelled something fishy with that response. _Earlier, she sounded desperate to get through the relay, why is she giving up so easily?_

_ "It's obvious that you have your orders, so there's no use arguing with you. I'll just divert my ship to the Citadel and get out of your hair."_

"...Uh, thank you for your understanding, Ms. Cantalin."

_"No problem. I'll make sure to mention how helpful you were to the press on the Citadel, right after I mention how the Alliance was willing to let the quarians you just took aboard your ship bypass your protocols but turned away a group composed of asari, turians, and even fellow humans. I'm sure __that'll make their day, don't you think?"_

_ I knew it. _Welch brought his hand to his face, slowly dragging it down to his chin in defeat. After a few seconds of embarrassment, he chuckled a bit and said, "Touche, Ms. Cantalin."

_"Please, call me Narala."_

"Alright, Narala. Land your ship in our docking bay, you can stay aboard this ship for any news about Mr. Reynolds. Right now, that's the best I can do."

_"Fair enough. Thank you for your understanding, Captain. Narala out."_

As the comm channel closed, Welch groaned to himself, almost laughing at how ridiculous the situation had become. "Quarians, asari, turians...what's next? A krogan battalion?"

"Careful what you wish for, sir." Jacobs responded wittingly.

"As you were, Jacobs."

"Aye-aye, Captain."

Welch was about to take his leave to welcome their newest guests aboard when Jacobs once again received a hail. "Sir, I'm receiving a priority hail from Admiral Hackett."

"Patch him through."

"Aye-aye, sir."

A holographic image of Hackett appeared on the comm station. "Bill, I've just received an interesting message from Henry over on the Saratoga. What's this about quarians aboard your ship?"

"A captain from the Migrant Fleet and his wife, along with several quarian marines, tried to get through the relay to look for their daughter. I asked them to leave, but they refused. I decided that it would be best not to start up any bad blood with the Migrant Fleet right now, so I allowed them to stay aboard the Patillo in case any word about their daughter should come through to us."

"Hm, I see. You realize of course that if word of this got out that almost everyone in the galaxy would come and expect the same treatment, right?"

"Yes, sir, we've already had a situation like that occur."

"Come again?"

"An asari named Narala Cantalin just showed up with her security detail. I tried to send them away, but she threatened to go to the press with my deal with the quarians."

"Bill..."

"I know, Steve, I know. A few quarians and alien civies on board aren't going to hinder us though."

"If you say so, Bill. If it keeps us in good with those races, I'll look the other way to this breach in protocol, but remember that they're your responsibility now. If anything happens to them..."

"I'm aware of that, Steve. Don't worry."

"I don't have time to worry, you know that. Good luck, sounds like you'll need it. Hackett out."

Just as Hackett closed the comm channel, yet another hail came through. "Sir, the Saratoga is hailing us again."

Unwilling to deal with Makasani, Welch said, "I do believe we're having some problems receiving that hail, aren't we, Private?"

Without even thinking, the comms officer dismissed the hail and muted it. "What hail, sir?"

A smirk formed on his face as the elevator door hissed open, revealing an asari wearing a loose fitting blue jacket. "Ms. Cantalin, I presume?"

"Yes. Now tell me, have you heard anything about Mike at all?"

"I'm sorry, no. Like my comms officer was telling you, we don't have an exact list of people who managed to make it off world. I'll send word out to all the colonies we evacuated civilians to to be on the lookout for him."

"Thanks...sorry about the blackmail, but I can't just sit on my ass five systems away from where my friend could be hurt...or worse." For the first time since she first spoke to the captain over the comms, Narala's confident exterior deteriorated, revealing just how worried she was.

"Trust me, I know exactly how you feel, but you should have realized that your ship wouldn't have lasted a second against those things."

"I know, but like I said, I had to do something." Narala took a deep breath, regaining her confident stature. "So, where can my people stay while we're here?"

"There's still some spare room in the crew quarters on Deck 3. You'll have to share with the quarians though, hope that won't be an issue."

"Not at all. Thank you, Captain." With that, Narala turned and re-entered the elevator while informing her security staff to head for Deck 3. Once the doors closed, Narala leaned her arm against the side of the elevator and let a few tears escape her eyes. _Keep yourself together, Narala. You've got to be strong...He's alive, I know it. Just don't lose your grip. _Wiping the tears away, she composed herself so as to not worry her security staff.

When the elevator reached Deck 3, the doors slid open to reveal her security team, or at least the only two who were on duty when she left. The turian, Telius, spoke first, "So what's the deal, Narala? We going through the relay or not?"

"No." She answered, sighing as she did.

"What? So we came all this way for nothing?" The human, Nick, responded. "Mike's down there, for God's sake! We gotta do something!"

"You think I don't know that? Right now, the best thing we can do for Mike is to sit tight and wait for word. If we try to get through the relay they'll disable our ship, then we'll really be in trouble."

"So we just sit on our asses while Mike gets his blown off?" Telius rebuked.

"I don't like it anymore than you do, but if this is the best way we have of helping Mike later on, then we'll stay here as long as necessary. We each owe him that much."

Nodding their heads in reluctant agreement, they followed Narala to the empty bunks across the hall from where the quarians had already begun settling in. Narala peeked over to see two quarians, a man and a woman, embracing one another. _How many other lives have these things ruined so far? I swear, if they've hurt him... _Shaking the thoughts from her head, Narala climbed into the bunk closest to the elevator while Nick and Telius took the bunks next to hers.

As she lay her head back, Telius said, "Hey, Narala?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't worry, Mike's been through hell and back more times than I can count. He'll pull through this."

"Yeah," Nick jumped in, "Hell, he'll probably kill a couple of those creepy starships while he's at it and hang them up in the living room back at HQ."

Narala smiled at her team's attempts to calm her nerves. "Thanks guys, now get some sleep, we may need it." Though she knew she needed the rest, she knew that she wouldn't be getting any sleep that night. As the lights went out in the crew quarters, Narala, along with the Haal and Palana, could only lay in their bunks, unable to sleep through the worry consuming their thoughts. Eventually, their fatigue overtook them, but not before a similar hope flashed through their minds.

_Please be okay...please be okay..._


	17. Chapter 13: The Next Day

Chapter 13: The Next Day

London

Josie's Classic Fish N' Chips

6:55 AM Galactic Standard Time

Mike's eyes slowly forced themselves open as several small gleams of light shown through the gaps in the restaurants blinds. He groaned as he brought his hand to his face to rub the bridge of his nose and stretched his free arm out, yawning as he did. He looked around the room from his position against a wall; the tables, the overturned chairs, and the spoiled food. He then looked to his companions, Nepturus sleeping against a pillar near the center of the room, Alaia resting her head on some rolled up table clothes, and Tarok surprisingly still awake and peeking out a gap in the blinds. _Huh, I guess it wasn't a nightmare after all. Great. _He thought to himself as he slowly lifted himself to his feet, catching Tarok's attention.

"About time one of you woke up, I was considering leaving you here while I stormed Chamberlain's stronghold myself." Tarok said while inspecting his weapons, including his old pistol.

"Good morning to you too, big guy." Mike responded sarcastically as he stretched his back. He then noticed the pistol Tarok was checking, noting the obvious signs of age and wear. "So, that pistol's pretty special to you?" He asked.

"What makes you think that, human? A pistol's a pistol."

"Well, it looks pretty old and beat up to me, no offense. That and you went to the trouble of modifying it to be thermal clip compatible. Most people I know would have chucked that thing and bought a new one instead."

Tarok looked down at the pistol, seeing how Mike noticed the somewhat obvious sauntering marks on the side where he installed the thermal clip heat sink mod several years ago. "Heh, you've got a good eye, human, I'll give ya that."

Mike walked over to the blinds where Tarok was standing and lifted one up ever so slightly to look outside. The sight wasn't pretty. Burning vehicles, building debris, plumes of smoke billowing out from distant fires; the whole city looked like a war zone, which it pretty much was at that point. "Any husks or anything pass by here?"

"A couple here and there, nothing even you idiots couldn't handle."

"That's good...I think. So, why go to the trouble of modding that pistol?"

"Ugh, you love your questions, don't you?"

"Call it human nature, I'm just curious."

Knowing well that if he didn't answer him that he'd keep pestering him about it, Tarok groaned and said, "It belonged to...someone I knew a long time ago. I keep it around to remind me of her."

"Her?"

"Hmm...my mate, Krilara. She died around 350 years ago."

"Oh, sorry Tarok, didn't mean to-"

"Don't even think about going all pitiful on me, I don't want or need your sympathy. I shouldn't have even opened my mouth about it."

"Then why did you?"

"Because you idiots love to annoy the hell out of me until I answer your damn questions, that's why. I know you're trying to be all friendly with me, but I'm not interested in friends, got it?"

"Alright alright, damn. Excuse us for not treating you like garbage."

"Why do you even care, human? You afraid that if you don't play nice with me that I might murder you in your sleep?"

"No, I just thought that if we were going to be watching each others' backs that we might as well get to know each other better."

"I had friends watching my back for hundreds of years and that ended badly, so obviously your system is flawed."

Mike lifted an eyebrow at that, noting the small hint of guilt in Tarok's voice. "Oh? What happened?"

Tarok looked outside again, mostly to attempt to avoid Mike's question, but once again, he knew it'd be brought up again and again until he gave him an answer. "...You see this scar, human?" He pointed to the long scar running down the center of his face from the middle of his blue crest right down to his chin.

"Kinda hard to miss." Mike answered.

"I made a mistake a century ago...a mistake that cost me the clan brothers that I was proud to call friends. As punishment, I was exiled from my clan and this...this is my eternal reminder of why having friends leads to nothing but grief. Satisfied, human?"

"Sorry, big guy. I won't bring it up again, cool?"

"That's the best news I've heard all-" Tarok cut himself off as something outside the window caught his eye.

"What?" Mike asked.

Without answering his question, Tarok said, "Get the turian and the girl on their feet, we need to move." Tarok picked up his shotgun leaning on the wall and collapsed it, placing it on his back as Mike looked through a small gap in the blinds to see what had Tarok so worked up. Through the cloud of dust, he could make out the silhouettes of about thirty or forty creatures, some of which were somewhat taller and differently shaped than the husks he recognized immediately. He then hurried over to Alaia and Nepturus.

"Nep, Alaia get up! We need to move, let's go!" He said as they began to stir.

"Huh, wha? What's going on?" Alaia asked, half-awake.

"Husks heading our way, we have to get moving."

Nepturus shook himself awake and hurried to his feet, pulling out his assault rifle on instinct. "How many?"

Before Mike could answer, the sounds of the front door being banged on echoed throughout the room and the arms of several husks burst through the toughened glass of the windows, tearing through the blinds. "Too many." He said as he pulled out his own assault rifle and opened fire on the windows, Nepturus doing the same. Alaia grabbed her SMG's from the ground next to her and joined them, taking down several husks, but only proving that there were many more on the way. Tarok was doing his best to hold the front door close as several creatures were attempting to force it open from the outside.

"I can't keep this up all day!" He shouted, expecting some assistance.

"Hang on, I'll overload the pistons in the door." Nepturus said, hurrying over to the control panel for the door as Mike and Alaia covered their rear, taking out the horde of husks charging in through the windows.

"Make it quick, Nep! These things aren't slowing down!" Alaia yelled, ejecting the spent clips from her guns.

Just then, Mike ejected a clip from his gun and reached into his pocket for another, only to find it empty. "Oh crap! I'm out of clips!"

Alaia then checked one of her many pockets. "Bosh'tet! So am I! I'm down to these last two!"

"Nep, Tarok! Any extra clips?"

"Kinda busy, Mike!" Nepturus replied, trying desperately to find the door's pressure controls. "Outdated piece of crap!"

Tarok growled as he barely had the doors closed with the creatures furiously pulling and banging on it from the other side. "I've got my hands full over here, human!"

"What do we do?" Alaia asked, firing sparingly at the husks down the hall.

Mike looked around the entrance hall for anything to use as a weapon before noticing a mounted cricket bat on the wall with several names signed on it. Thinking fast, he used his elbow to smash the glass over the cricket bat and yanked out off of its mount. "We do this the old fashioned way." He said as Alaia's last clip ran out and two husks stormed down the hall, stepping over the husks previously gunned down. As one attempted to jump on him, Mike let out a loud grunt and swung as hard as he could into the husk, sending it crashing into the greeter's podium next to the staircase. He then performed a backswing into the second husk's head, causing a loud crunch as its skull caved in from the impact, sending the husk's limp body first into the wall then collapsing to the floor.

The husk he sent into the podium groaned as it attempted to get up from the debris it had created. Alaia, thinking quickly, activated her omni-tool's electrical current generator and set it to high before slamming her hand into the husk's torso, shocking it to the point of burning it and sending it staggering forcefully into the wall behind it as it convulsed before collapsing. Mike took the opportunity to bring the bat over his head and bring down on the husk's head with enough force to smash it, finishing it off. Alaia looked to Mike and said, "Woo! Way to go, Mike!", high-fiving him afterward.

"You weren't so bad yourself. Nice work."

Just as they noticed more husks climbing in through the windows, Nepturus called out, "Finally! I got it!" The doors then hissed shut with great enough force to keep the monsters on the other side at bay, allowing Tarok to release his grip.

"Took you long enough!" He scoffed before pulling out his shotgun and blasting the new husks coming down the hall into oblivion.

"Yeah, you're welcome." Nepturus rebuked before turning to Mike as he pulled out his assault rifle again. "Pretty mean swing you've got there."

"I had a lot of practice as a kid." Their banter was then cut short by the sound of gunshots whizzing by their heads. "The hell?"

They looked down the hall past the charging husks to see two creatures with strange looking assault rifles in their hands. Upon seeing their faces, Alaia started, "Are those-", before being cut off again by more bullets coming at them, forcing them to start up the stairs.

"Questions later!" Nepturus yelled as he reached into his pocket and handed Mike and Alaia a few clips. "That's all I can spare, make them count!"

Tarok took a few shots towards the new figures to force them into cover and blow away the nearest husks as he followed the group upstairs. Mike and Alaia loaded the new clips into their guns and covered Tarok as he reached the top of the steps. Nepturus opened the door at the top and said, "Get in! I'll cover you!"

The others quickly jumped inside, taking some pot shots down the steps to slow their pursuers. Nepturus was the last one in as he closed the door behind him, locking it. Knowing the door wouldn't slow them down for too long, they made their way through what looked like an office of some sort. Alaia couldn't keep the thought she started to herself as she said, "Those new creatures down there...they looked like-"

"Turians. Yeah, I noticed." Nepturus said, obviously disturbed as he opened another door.

"You alright, Nep?" Mike asked, keeping his eye on the door behind them as the familiar banging noises became louder.

"Not really. It's bad enough seeing your people made into those husk things, but to see my own twisted into...whatever those things are..."

"Creepy as hell, isn't it?"

"That's one way of putting it." Nepturus opened the door and everyone went through it, catching a glimpse of the creatures forcing down the other door as the one in front of them closed and locked itself. "The thing that's disturbing me most is that there were very few other turians on Earth at all and I doubt they send the couple those things managed to find after us if they were the only ones."

"So what are you saying?" Mike asked, taking a breather.

"I'm saying I don't think those turians came from Earth..."

Alaia caught on to his thinking and said, "Wait, you mean they might be attacking other planets right now?"

"It makes sense."

"Great. As if we didn't have enough to worry about with the husks trying to claw our eyes out and those 'Gunner' things we saw in the subway blasting us; now we have modded turians shooting at us." Mike said as they looked around the room they were now in. A single room with no exits other than the door they just came through, it wasn't an ideal place for them to escape the creatures hunting them.

Noting this, Tarok said, "Good job, turian. Got us cornered in a room with no other exits."

"Tarok," Nepturus started, not in the mood, "don't test me right now. I'm not in the mood!"

Before they had a chance to get into it, they were interrupted by the dreaded sound of the husks banging on the door. Running out of time, Alaia asked, "What do we do?"

Nepturus thought for a moment, then came to a realization. "I've got an idea." He then ran over to side wall and tapped on it a few times, much to the others' confusion.

"Nep, what're you doing?" Mike asked, pointing his assault rifle at the door.

"The buildings on this street are conjoined, I just have to find a...got it!" Finding the spot he was looking for, Nepturus looked to Tarok and said, "Charge that spot!"

"What?" Tarok asked before catching on. "Aah, for once, turian, you're speaking my language." With an uncharacteristic smile on his face, Tarok faced the spot Nepturus pointed to and let out a loud roar as he charged into it head first, smashing through the layers of concrete and into the adjacent building.

As the dust settled, Mike said, "Alright, I'm impressed.", as he and the others quickly followed suit, joining Tarok in the next room. "You alright, big guy?"

"Fine, human. The wall's the one you should be worried about."

"Brag later," Alaia said, pointing to the door in the previous room, which was buckling as they spoke, "we need to move."

Just as the door several yards away came down, the group ran down a nearby stair case, ending up in a Sirta Foundation outlet. They ran to the exit, prying it open with ease, and ran found themselves in the middle of a large street with a long field of grass on the other side. "Any idea where we are?" Mike asked.

Before Alaia could check her map, they heard the creatures making their way down the stairs. "What do we do now?" Alaia asked, everyone looking around for some way to lose them.

The large group of monstrosities made it to the bottom and stormed past the Sirta Foundation counter and threw the doors. Once outside, they paused, the turian husks looking around confusedly. Their prey wasn't there. Slowly, they checked behind every abandoned vehicle and inside every building on the street. When it looked as thought they'd lost them, the creatures made their way down the street in search of more survivors, leaving the street quiet once more.

Then, a panel in the street rose up ever so slightly to allow a pair of eyes to get a good look at the surrounding area. "...Okay, all clear." Mike said, lifting the lid and letting it settle quietly next to the access tunnel they'd hidden in. He then pulled himself out of the hole and stood himself up before offering his hand to Alaia, who took it and was pulled up.

"Keelah, that was close. Those things were practically breathing down our necks." She said, taking in a deep sigh of relief.

Mike then helped Nepturus out of the tunnel, "Yeah, if you hadn't noticed this access tunnel when you did, Tarok, we probably would have had a hell of a fight on our hands.", he said to the krogan below him.

"So, once again, I pull your asses out of the fire. It's like clockwork it's so predictable." Tarok said as Mike offered him a hand, only to give him a 'Really?' kind of look.

"C'mon, it won't hurt your ego too badly to have a human help you out of a hole." Mike insisted. Tarok rolled his eyes and reluctantly accepted Mike's hand, letting him help him out of the whole, noting the human's grunt of exertion. "Holy crap, Tarok, you need to lay off all those nails you eat for breakfast each morning."

Though Alaia chuckled at the jab, Tarok just dusted himself off and said, "I swear, human, if we can't find any food later on, I'm eating you."

"Yeah yeah, keep talkin'. So Alaia, where the hell are we?"

Alaia pulled up the London map on her omni-tool. "Well, according to this, we just came from this building here, so...we're here." They each looked at the spot on the map; a road called Grosvenor Place with a large patch of green on the east side of it. When they noticed what was on the other side of the green patch, they all turned around almost simultaneously to look past the fence separating the road from the long, grassy plain and saw a large structure off in the distance. "Gentlemen," Alaia said in great relief, "Buckingham Palace!"

"Finally!" Tarok said, "I thought we'd be wandering aimlessly for days at the rate we were going."

"Hey, at least we made it in one piece." Mike responded. "Let's just get in there so you can do whatever you need to do to Chamberlain and get the hell off this rock."

"Alright," Nepturus added, "but if we're going to do this, we shouldn't just jump in there blind. We need to scout the place out first, see what sort of defenses we're dealing with."

"What's wrong, Nep? Not feeling adventurous today?" Alaia asked, closing her omni-tool.

"I'd hate to admit this, girlie, but I agree with the turian. We need to scout the place out." Tarok said, causing the others to drop their jaws in astonishment.

"Woah, wait. You actually agree with Nep? That's it, if I see a flying pig go by, just stick a fork in me, because I'm done." Mike joked, causing Alaia to nearly burst out laughing.

"Just shut up and let's get going before girlie's cackling attracts more of those things."

"Hey! I do not cackle!" Alaia placed her hands on her hips in displeasure.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, quarian."

Mike and Nepturus started chuckling, only for Alaia to shoot them a dirty look, shutting them up. "Okay, enough joking around." Nepturus said. "Let's get going. Stay together and try to stick to cover."

With that, they hopped the fence and started into the long plain of grass leading to the palace, unsure of what they'd find, but knowing they probably wouldn't like it.

SSV Patillo

Shanxi-Theta Relay

7:00 AM Galactic Standard Time

_"Captain Welch, sir. Captain Welch?" _The voice of Private Jacobs called over the intercom in the captain's quarters. Welch stirred from his sleep, groaning in frustration at his lack thereof.

He reluctantly replied, "Ugh...what is it, Jacobs?"

_"You told me to wake you at 0700, sir."_

"Oh...right." With great effort, he threw the covers off of him and sat upright on the side of his bed, rubbing his face with both hands. "Any developments while I was out?" He asked.

_"Admiral Hackett wants to speak to you. He says it's important."_

"Isn't it always?...Anything else?"

_"Well, the quarian captain asked that you speak with him down in Deck 3. He wants to discuss 'long term arrangements' in the case that their stay is extended. Also, the asari woman, Narala, wants to talk to you about something."_

"She didn't say what?"

_"No, she just told me that it wasn't urgent, but that she wanted to talk."_

"Hm...alright, tell Captain Koran and Ms. Cantilan that I'll be with them as soon as I find time."

_"Aye-aye, sir. OH, one more thing, Captain Juarez wanted me to ask you about extending the sleeping quarters on his own vessel, seeing as, and I quote, 'We seem to be starting up a nice hotel business out here.' I caught a hint that he was joking, but we actually got into a discussion about room __pricing."_

Finding it too early in the morning to laugh at Juarez's idea of humor, Welch replied, "That'll be all, Jacobs."

_"Aye-aye." _After Jacobs got off the intercom, Welch slowly rose from his bed, stretching as he did. As he was about to head for the bathroom to clean himself up, a sight on his bedside table caught his eye, as it had every morning for years. Reaching down, he picked up a small picture frame and smiled weakly at it. On it was a younger looking Welch next to a beautiful woman, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, and a little girl with a big smile on her face climbing on his back. The captain closed his eyes as a single tear formed in his right eye. Taking a deep, stress filled breath, he placed the picture back down on his bedside table and wiped the tear from his face. He then entered his bathroom to groom himself for duty, pushing the worries from his mind as far as possible.

Deck 3 Crew Quarters

"So, you think Mike's okay down there? I saw some vids from when those things first touched down...it's not pretty." Telius said, leaning against the wall next to their bunks while Nick lay on the top bunk.

"Hey, you know Mike; he's the toughest sonofabitch I know. He'll get out of this and bring one of thing's heads to mount on his wall." Nick joked, trying to relieve stress more than being truthful.

"Yeah...I guess. 'Rala still asleep over there?" Telius nodded his head toward the bunk next to theirs, where Narala was still lying down asleep.

"Yeah, I don't think she got to sleep until sometime past midnight. I've never seen her this worried."

"I know, right? You see her when she was getting us together to head to Earth? She was like a completely different person."

"I was afraid she was gonna throw me across the room at one point. I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't mind if a woman gets rough once in a while, but..."

"For your information, 'Mr. Grani'," The two security guards turned to Narala's bunk, where she had gotten up during their conversation and was now sitting on the side, "if I were to get rough with you, it wouldn't be because of your incomparable charm."

"What? You're saying I'm not good enough for you to throw against a wall?" Nick joked back.

"No, I just don't think I'd like repainting the wall afterwards." Though Narala did her best to act normally, the joke was laced with hints of exhaustion and worry.

"You sleep well, 'Rala?" Telius asked.

"Hmph, about as well as could be expected, I guess." She rubbed her neck as she answered, attempting to relieve the aches produced by her fatigue. "What time is it?"

Nick checked the time on his omni-tool. "7:05 AM GST"

The realization made her rub her eyes. "Ugh, I only got five hours of sleep."

"Damn," Telius said, "maybe you should lay back down and get some rest."

"No, I'm sick of sleeping. Besides, someone has to make sure you two don't do something to damage the ship."

Nick looked genuinely insulted. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I still remember what happened when Mike put you two in charge of guarding that statue of Athame we uncovered on Cyone."

"C'mon, 'Rala! That wasn't our fault." Telius defended, albeit unconvincingly.

"Besides, that thing looked better without the head...more artistic, y'know?"

A small smile graced Narala's face, clearly Nick's intention, though it vanished just as quickly as it appeared. Telius then asked, "So, should we just head back to Tamaris? I mean, there's not much more we can do to help Mike here than we could back there."

"What? You chickening out on us?" Nick said, half joking.

"No, I'm just saying, what's the point of staying here if all we can do is sit around and do nothing?"

"The point," Narala started, "is that if we were the ones down on Earth, you know Mike would want to be as close by as possible in case there's any way he could help. If you want to leave, then go, but I'm staying here."

"I didn't mean it like that, Narala. It's just...no, you're right. Mike would do everything he could to help us, we should do the same."

"Now that's the Telius I know. Was afraid you were gonna bug out on us." Nick said, giving the turian a light jab in the shoulder.

"Yeah right, and leave Narala in your hands? No offense, but she signs my paycheck every month, I need her alive." Telius finished the joke with a cocky grin, or the turian equivalent.

"I appreciate what you guys are trying to do, but I'm just...I just don't feel up to camaraderie right now." Narala said with a deep sigh.

"Okay, sure. You want us to leave you alone?" Nick said, putting on an uncharacteristic, concerned face.

"No, I'm going to talk to the captain, you two just try and stay out of trouble."

"What are we, little kids?...On second thought, don't answer that."

Waving off Nick's last joke, Narala forced herself to her feet and headed off to the elevator, leaving the two guards in a state of concern. Telius turned to Nick and said, "She's taking this better and worse than I thought she would when I heard about the attack."

"Yeah," Nick responded, "especially since...well, you know."

"What?"

"You know how she feels about Mike, right?"

"That she cares about him? Yeah, we all do."

"No, you and I care about him, Narala REALLY cares about him...understand?"

After a few seconds of confusion, the realization hit him. "Wait...Narala...and Mike? Are you sure?"

Nick shook his head teasingly. "Maybe you'll understand when you're older, Teli."

Telius didn't respond verbally, though he did wish at that point that he evolved with a middle finger.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the hall, Palana'Koran stirred from her struggled sleep, opening her eyes to see her husband gazing out of a viewport. His pose was as dignified as ever, his hands behind his back and his head held high. With obvious drowsiness, Palana said, "Good morning, Haal."

Haal turned his head to her slightly, acknowledging that he'd heard her, and responded, "How did you sleep?"

"I barely did, yet I feel that I somehow got more sleep than you did." She was right, though Haal would never show such weakness willingly, he felt as though he hadn't slept in weeks. His arms and legs ached, his eyes felt heavy and irritated, and his mind could barely focus on a single thought. "Where are the men?" She asked.

"I ordered them down to the cargo hold to get the rest of our supplies sorted out for our...extended visit."

"The humans' hospitality is bothering you?"

"We should not be pandering to these human fools, we should just storm the relay and take our chances getting to Earth!"

"I know you're frustrated, but you know as well as I do that we wouldn't make it past their moon before those monstrosities would destroy us. Our best chance of seeing our daughter again is to stay here and wait for her."

Haal knew she was right, but he still felt restless, anxious, even helpless to a degree. "I know...but Keelah, for the first time in my life, I feel as though I'm completely useless."

"As do I, but we need to trust in out daughter, Haal. She is stronger than you realize."

"I know that...she's always been strong willed, an admirable trait in some ways, infuriating in others."

"Yes, she takes after her father in many ways."

Though at first unsure of what she meant, Haal decided to drop the issue and continue his observation of the billions of stars outside the viewport. Then, for the first time in a long while, a chuckle escaped him as a fond memory entered his mind. "Do you remember when she was 9 years old, when she was given her first suit?"

Palana knew what he was referring to and giggled slightly. "Oh yes, it feels as though it were only yesterday."

"Do you recall the day afterward? She had decided to add some designs to the hood of her suit to give it..."style" I believe she called it?"

"Ha, I remember you had a fit upon seeing it. You asked her why she had done it and all she could say was, 'I don't know'."

Haal sighed in fond thought. "She thought that pleading insanity would get her off the hook."

"I especially remember when she turned to show you the back of her hood where she had...she had put..." As the mother relived the cherished memory, she felt herself begin to choke up, tears beginning to form on her face once more.

"Where she had put the words 'Mom' and 'Dad' in fanciful writing." He finished for her, turning to her completely at last. Palana rose from the bed and jumped into her husband's arms, allowing herself to sob softly. "Hush now, shhhh," He said, trying to calm his wife with little success, "we will see her again, I swear it."

"But what if...what if we don't...what if she's...she's-" Palana attempted to speak through sobs, only to be silenced by her husband's eyes meeting hers.

"Do not think that way. As you said, Alaia is a cunning and resourceful young woman. I refuse to believe that she's lost to us! We WILL see her again, I promise you. Until then, we both have to be strong."

Regaining her composure, Palana nodded her head slowly and said, "I know...I love you."

"And I you. Now, the men brought up some of our nutrient paste to the mess hall for storage. You must be hungry."

"Somewhat, yes."

"Then why don't you go to the mess hall and get yourself something to eat while I discuss our accommodations with the captain? I'll join you as soon as I'm done."

Reluctantly leaving her husband's embrace, Palana said, "Okay...don't be too long."

"I won't." With that, Palana left the bunks and went for the elevator, leaving Haal to wait for Captain Welch. As soon as he saw that she had entered the elevator and the doors had closed, he let out a deep, regretful sigh and placed a hand to his mask. Though he put on a brave face for his wife, Haal knew that the chances were slim that his daughter was still alive. He did have hope, but it wasn't as plentiful as he had made it out to be. He again returned his gaze to the stars outside, hoping to lose himself in contemplation as he awaited the captain's arrival.

The Bridge

_"Bill, I hope you realize how much danger you're putting these people in."_ Admiral Hackett said through the comm channel.

"I'm more than aware, Steve, but they made it quite clear that they'd risk their lives to get through the relay, so I had to compromise." Welch replied.

_"I understand your motivations and I applaud them, but you have to realize you can't do this for everyone that tries to go through the relay. Your ship may be well stocked and space aboard it may be plentiful, but if a Reaper comes through..."_

"I know, as do our guests, but it's either they risk being destroyed with us or they're definitely destroyed near Earth. They know the risks."

_"I trust you, Bill. If you believe this is the best course of action, you have my support."_

"Thank you, sir."

_"Now, onto business. You remember the base we have on Mars? Near the prothean ruins?"_

"I've only been there once and it wasn't for sight seeing, so not really. What about it?"

_"...I think we may have something."_

"Really? What'd you recover?"

_"Dr. Liara T'Soni and a team of Alliance scientists have been studying something we found there recently which, if the data is to be believed, could be the key to stopping the Reapers."_

"Well, what is it?"

_"I can't give out too many details over an unsecured channel. Once you get the QEC you just had installed functional, I'll fill you in."_

"I understand. What's the situation with the Commander?"

_"Shepard spoke with the Council on the Citadel no more than an hour or so ago."_

"And?"

_"...As we expected, they couldn't offer their support at this time."_

"Damnit!"

_"Calm down, Bill."_

"Our planet's being ripped apart by those bastard machines and all the Council can do is twiddle their thumbs!"

_"I understand your frustration, I felt the same way when I first heard the news from the Commander, but then I realized that if we were in their positions, if it had been the turians or salarians that were attacked first, we would do the same thing."_

Welch didn't want to admit it, but he knew Hackett was right. "I suppose so. You can't very well help an ally unless your own people are secured first."

_"Exactly. This isn't the time to point fingers and start arguments. This is the time to build alliances and pull the galaxy together. We can't do that by demanding special treatment."_

"You're right...sorry about the outburst, sir."

_"Don't worry about it. This whole situation has everyone on edge. Even the Commander."_

"About Shepard...you sure the Commander's up to this? Leading an entire galaxy against these things?"

Though normally Hackett would show his faith in their chances without hesitation, the current crisis demanded honesty. _"I won't lie to you, Bill. Less than 24 hours ago, I had to sacrifice the entire Second Fleet to save the Third and Fifth Fleets...an entire fleet wiped out like nothing. These things...they won't go down easy and they will never surrender. I doubt we'll be able to pull ourselves out of this without some serious sacrifices, but I won't let those things win, and neither will the Commander. I'll stake my life on it."_

"I know...sir, there's one more thing."

_"Go ahead."_

"...You remember Joshua Reynolds? Back during the First Contact War?"

_"Of course I do. He was a fine soldier up until he quit after the peace was called. What about him?"_

"His son, Mike, has been confirmed by Ms. Cantilan to be on Earth."

_"Ah, I see..."_

"I know there's nothing we can do about it, but I just feel like I owe Joshua something."

_"Though I sympathize with the boy and respect Joshua, you don't owe him anything. He made his decision and you made yours. Whatever betrayal he felt after the fact was of his own fabrication. You made the right call."_

"I know...it's just, we were best friends through boot camp all the way up to that day we were on shore leave. He saved my life more times than I can count. I owe him for that."

_"I understand, but you and I both know that mounting a rescue operation at this point for one man is neither practical nor fair. No one gets special treatment here."_

"Understood." Welch reluctantly acknowledged.

_"I know it's hard; leaving all those people on Earth, but we don't have a choice right now. Stay strong out there, and Bill?"_

"Hm?"

_"There's still no word on Helen, but I'll keep my eyes and ears open."_

"...Thanks, Steve."

_"Anytime. Hackett out."_

After Hackett cut out, Welch turned to Comm Officer Jacobs and asked, "Have we had any calls from Juarez or Makasani?"

"No, sir. From what I've heard, Captain Makasani has been awfully quiet as of late, possibly due to the mental thrashing you gave him yesterday. Though that's just my humble opinion." The subtle, satisfied grin on her face made it clear how 'humble' her opinion was.

"Hm, well, if Juarez calls, tell him I'll talk to him as soon as I can."

"Aye-aye, sir. And if Captain Makasani calls?" Though the question was somewhat sincere, Jacobs put on a knowing smirk.

"I think our engineers are still working on that problem with our ship to ship comm systems, aren't they?" Welch returned the smirk.

"Yes, sir. From what I've heard, they may not have them repaired until this war is over."

"Heh. As you were, Jacobs."

"Aye-aye, sir."

Welch then made his way back to the elevator and prepared to head down to Deck 3 to speak to the quarian Captain. "This should be interesting." He thought aloud as the elevator doors closed.


	18. Chapter 14: Buckingham Palace

Chapter 14: Buckingham Palace

London

Buckingham Palace

7:25 AM Galactic Standard Time

"Okay, this is gonna be harder than I thought." Mike observed as the group stayed hidden behind one of the large hedges in front of the huge palace. They'd barely managed to sneak past the security cameras to get to this point and now they could see the entire front of the building was being patrolled by Chamberlain's security team. Snipers, turrets, biotics; all of it made a frontal assault a suicide run.

"We'll be slaughtered if we expose ourselves out here." Nepturus said, unable to figure out a way around them. "Maybe we should just-"

"No! I intend to collect on my contract, turian. You wanna leave, go ahead. I'll find my own way in." Tarok checked his shotgun, considering taking his chances and storming the entrance.

Alaia opened her omni-tool and looked over the building schematics from her tour book. Obviously, it didn't show much along the lines of secret entrances, but she'd hoped it would give more insight into any areas where the patrols may be weakest. Finding nothing of the sort, she sighed, "There's got to be a way to get in there without being...noticed." As she finished her thought, she had an idea. Glancing carefully over the hedge, she noticed a lone guard standing in front of another hedge in a relatively secluded spot, smoking a cigarette. "Hmm...I think I have something, follow me." Alaia moved down the line of shrubbery, the guys unsure of her plan but following her nevertheless. Once she had gotten to the point behind the secluded guard, she motioned for Mike to get directly behind him and whispered, "Okay, I'm going to create a distraction over there. Once I do, pull this guy behind the shrubs and knock him out, okay?"

"Alaia, what're you-"

"Just trust me, this'll work." Before Mike could protest further, Alaia moved past him and back down the way they came.

"Tenacious, isn't she?" Nepturus asked, rhetorically.

"That's not necessarily a good thing." Mike replied, somewhat concerned.

Alaia looked over the shrubs and saw an overturned skycar lying at the west side of the building, opposite where Mike and the other's were. Though it looked out of commission, she did notice its lights blinking, telling her that it still had power. She switched on her omni-tool and connected to the car's systems and accessed its alarm. Signaling to Mike to get ready, she switched on the car's alarm, sending the blaring noise blasting across the grounds, catching the attention of every guard within earshot. Once they were all distracted, Mike reached up and grabbed the guard by the collar of his armor, pulled him behind the shrubs and punched him dead in the face, knocking him out. Alaia took this opportunity to head back over to the others as some of the guards investigated the car. Once she reached them, she looked over the unconscious guard. "Nice work."

"Thanks," Mike said, "but we can't do that for every guard on site."

"Didn't think we could. I just noticed that he seemed to be around the same size as you."

Mike wondered what she was getting at until it hit him. "Oooooh, I get it. I take his armor and scope out the inside for another entrance. Good thinking, Alaia."

"I try."

"Flirt later, just get the human's armor on and get going." Tarok rushed, becoming impatient.

"Alright then. Hey Nep, give me a hand here."

5 minutes later...

Mike placed the guard's helmet over his head and fastened it into place, turning on it's external speaker. "So, how do I look?"

"Well, if you're a fan of black, not bad." Alaia said, obviously not impressed with the guard's lack of color.

"Alright, I've linked up your helmet's radio to our omni-tools. As long as you keep the external speaker off, you should be able to talk without anyone around you hearing it." Nepturus instructed.

"Cool. And Alaia, take care of my jacket, alright?"

Alaia had taken the liberty of putting on Mike's jacket, as he couldn't wear it underneath the armor. "No problem, and I have to say, I think it looks pretty good on me. What do you think, Tarok?"

Tarok took one look at the quarian girl wearing a jacket that was somewhat too big for her frame and said, "I think he needs to get back soon before that jacket crushes you."

"Very funny." Alaia lightly punched Tarok in the shoulder, something that would usually result in the dismemberment of whatever had done so, yet only made Tarok involuntarily grin, though he fought it back after a second.

"Alright," Mike said, "I'm going. I'll keep in contact."

"Be careful, Mike. These guys aren't screwing around." Nepturus warned.

"I'll be fine. You guys just stay low and make sure to keep that guy under control." With that, Mike nonchalantly rose from behind the bushes and proceeded towards the palace.

"Think he'll be alright?" Alaia asked when Mike was out of earshot, not wanting to show him she was worried.

"He's a competent enough fighter, girlie. He'll be fine." Tarok surprisingly reassured her.

Nepturus turned his omni-tool on and tuned to the comm channel he'd made. "Testing, testing. Mike, you hear me?"

After a brief moment of static, Mike's voice came in clearly. _"Yeah, had to shut off the speakers. Almost to the front door."_

Mike stepped up to the main palace gates, only to be stopped by two guards. "What're you doing? Chamberlain told all of us to stay out here and keep watch."

Knowing a group like this would probably not be too uptight, Mike decided to go the 'lazy bum' route. "C'mon man, I've been sittin' on my ass out here for, what, two hours now? I wanna go inside for a minute to grab a bite."

The guard looked apprehensive at first, but soon answered with, "Well...fine. But if Chamberlain or one of the captains catch ya, I'm gonna feign ignorance on it. Got that?"

"Sure, thanks." Mike walked past him and through the gates, which had been slightly damaged in the initial attack and were stuck slightly open. It was at this point that Mike got a good feel for the size of the palace. Even though it had nothing on the height of the skyscrapers in the distance, the area that it covered was immense. "Damn, this place is huge. Chamberlain could be in any one of those rooms." He spoke over the comm channel.

_"Yeah," _Alaia answered, _"according to this book, the palace has over 750 rooms. How're we supposed to find him in there."_

Tarok answered, _"By the looks of things, Chamberlain and his goons took this place on short notice, so they didn't get the chance to study the layout much. He'll stick to one of the front rooms to avoid getting lost."_

_ "Alaia's been trying to hack into their comms, but something's blocking access to their channels." _Nepturus added. _"We'll keep trying."_

"Got it." Mike then stepped under the front arch of he building leading to the entrance. Though the palace had been somewhat damaged during the first hours of the invasion, it was still mostly intact, only some small bits of the main building had been destroyed. Several guards walked past Mike as they moved supplies from place to place or moved to different posts.

As he neared the entrance to the inside of the building, a guard yelled, "Hey you! Hold it!"

"Oh crap." Mike whispered, getting ready to draw his pistol. He turned to see a somewhat older woman of Asian descent with shoulder length, messy black hair, a large scar over her left eye and a red stripe on her shoulder, usually a sign of rank.

She approached him and said, "Make yourself useful and help me with these supplies."

Breathing an inner sigh of relief, Mike responded, "Yes, ma'am."

_"Way to go, human. Looks like you found yourself a date." _Tarok quipped.

Mike resisted the urge to reply and walked with the guard to a couple of crates. "Thanks, by the way. All the others around here are too lazy to get off their asses and do anything. Think the end of the world allows them to do whatever pleases them."

As he picked up a crate, Mike said, "So why isn't Chamberlain doing anything about it? The- I mean we work for him, right?"

"You kidding?" She responded as she picked up her own crate. "That pencil necked rich boy lost his mind an hour after the attack started. He couldn't command his omni-tool to turn on from what I've heard."

"Why are we still working for him, then?"

"Because crazy or not, his credits are good. If he dies, we don't get paid." She then started off to the building entrance, Mike in tow.

"True, but shouldn't we be more worried about survival at this point. Those things out there aren't taking prisoners from what I saw."

"Which is exactly why we're sticking with Chamberlain. He's got the only off world transport left. That, and he's got some pretty hefty connections on the outside. If we just ditch him, they'll be on us as soon as we get out of the system." She finished her sentence as the entrance doors opened, revealing the elegant interior to the palace-turned-museum. Two flights of marble stairs accentuated with golden banisters gave a ancient, regal look to the palace, along with the many antique paintings of kings, queens and noblemen long since passed. Despite the beauty inherent in the architecture, it was somewhat negated by the many crates and electrical cords scattered about as well as the disrespectful treatment by the guards, some of whom saw fit to put out their cigarettes on the carpeting, leaving distinct, blackened burn marks where they stamped them out.

"This place is incredible." Mike said, half to the guard and half to his friends listening over the comm channel.

_"Really? What do you see?" _Alaia asked, excited by the artistic prospect of such a historical place.

_"You can discuss the curtains and table settings once we've gotten this done, girlie. Don't __distract him." _Tarok shot Alaia down, making her roll her eyes behind her mask.

"Yeah, it's a pretty nice place. I keep telling the idiots around here to stop tearing things up, but as usual, no one listens to Captain Shau." The guard digressed, a hint of bitterness in her voice as they ascended the stairs.

"Shau, huh? Nice name."

"You must be new to this pathetic little band. Captain Rebecca Shau. What's your name?"

Mike thought quickly and said, "Joshua."

"Joshua...?"

"Eastwood." Mike mentally slapped himself for using that name.

_"Really, Mike? Eastwood?" _Alaia chuckled in his headset.

Mike switched off his speaker. _"It was the first thing that popped into my head, shut up."_

"Well then, Mr. Eastwood, it's good to meet someone who still respects authority around here." Shau said as they reached the top of the stairs.

"I aim to please."

_"Oh brother." _Nepturus teased. _"You two gonna need a room?"_

_ "What is this, preschool? Grow up, Nep." _Mike berrated. _"Besides, she's not my type."_

As they traveled down the hall, Mike checked all the opened doors to see if he could spot Chamberlain. The seemingly endless hallway was lined with extravagant paintings and chandeliers, making him feel as though he were back at the Buckingham Terrace. "I guess that's where they got the style from."

"What?" Shau asked.

Mike didn't realize he'd switched his speaker back on by accident. "Oh, the Buckingham Terrace Hotel. I guess they got their decorating tips from this place."

"Gee, ya think? That must be why they call it the Buckingham Terrace."

_"Ha! I like that human." _Tarok admitted.

"Alright, drop it off here." Captain Shau entered a green schemed room with several glass display cases scattered around. There were several guards inside sitting on crates while playing a game of Skyllian Five Poker. "I don't remember saying you idiots could take a break!" She told them, making them turn their heads.

One of them jumped up, dropping his cards on the floor. "OH, uh, we were just-"

"You were JUST disobeying my orders again. I told you numb-nuts to start organizing these supplies, so I expect you to get off your asses and do it." The guards mumbled to themselves and sluggishly started gathering up their cards. "NOW!" With that order, they jumped into action and started opening up crates and organizing their contents.

_"Huh, sarcastic, crass, hardassed...I think you've found your perfect match, Tarok. I'll put in a good word for you." _Mike laughed.

_"Up yours, human."_

_"See if you can get her to tell you where Chamberlain is so we can get this over with." _Nepturus said.

Mike took his advice and said, "So speaking of Chamberlain, where is he? I want to know which room to avoid."

A slight chuckle escaped her throat as she answered, "'His Royal Highness' has barricaded himself in the ballroom, along with most of our guns and all the security mechs this place had. Asshole."

"Seriously, why put up with him? We should just take his shuttle and get the hell off this rock."

"We should, but we're not. I'd rather not have any of his off-world 'friends' hounding me for the rest of my life. I'd rather just die in a straight up fight like my husband."

This piqued Mike's interest. "Husband?"

She closed her eyes and looked away from him. "Nevermind, nothing you need to know about. Thanks for the help with the crates, but I need to get back to my rounds. Someone has to keep these undisciplined morons in line or those freaks outside will finish us off."

After she left the room, the guards proceeded to set up their Skyllian Five game again. Mike switched off his speaker again and said, _"You guys alright out there?"_

_ "Yeah, we had to move to the west side of the building earlier to avoid a patrol, but otherwise the guards seem to be pretty relaxed Which is strange considering the planet-wide invasion force." _Nepturus observed, somewhat unnerved by their overwhelming apathetic attitude toward the situation.

Alaia then added, _"Isn't it also weird that we haven't seen even one husk come near this place? It's like they're avoiding it."_

_ "Disappointed, quarian?" _Tarok joked.

_"No, just confused."_

_ "Anyway, Mike," _Nepturus said, _"we found an employee entrance near the irrigation pumps out here. That might be our way in, but the access panel's been damaged. You'll need to open it up from your end."_

_ "Got it, stay safe out there." _Mike then left the room and proceeded down the hall, taking curious glances at the multitude of historical artifacts lining the walls. He descended the grand staircase and proceeded down a westward hall marked 'Grand Ballroom'. _Everything's 'Grand' around here. _He thought. After a minute of walking the vast hallway and passing several armed guards, Mike heard yelling behind a large door.

"You IMBECILE! I give you one simple task: Collect the parts from the abandoned shop. What do you bring me back? EXCUSES!"

"Hey, it wasn't my fault. It was Reynolds and those-"

"SHUT! UP! ROACHE! I don't give a damn about your group's inability to fight off a group you vastly outnumber. All I care about are those parts!"

"They must be gone by now, Mr. Chamberlain. We'll head back there and pick everything up that you asked for."

"Don't bother! While your pathetic band was being embarrassed by a security guard and three aliens, my people were out collecting parts from another location. So now, I'm trying to remember why I'm keeping you around."

"Woah woah woah, wait a minute. You can't cut me lose. We'll die out there!"

"Regale me as to why I should care. All your group has done for me so far is take up supplies and ammo while showing absolutely no results."

"I swear to you, Chamberlain, just give us a job, any job, and we'll get it done. Just don't kick us out of here."

"ENOUGH! ...They'll be here in an hour to collect what I agreed on, so the last thing I need is your incessant whining! You two! Get this waste of skin and the other parasites out of here!"

"But-"

"NOW!"

The sounds of Roache struggling as a couple of guards dragged him off echoed out the closed doors, allowing for a few moments of silence before Chamberlain said, "Captain Parker, get in here!"

A door inside the ballroom hissed open and then closed. "Yes, sir?"

"Are your people prepared for their arrival?"

"Yes, sir! My men are stationed all over the compound. If they try and pull something, we'll get the first strike in."

"Good."

"If I may, sir, why do these things want those parts?"

"How the hell should I know? All I know is I either get them their parts or one of the big ones blow us away."

"Do you really believe they'll just leave us alone after that?"

"...are you questioning my intelligence, Captain?"

"...No, sir, I was just saying-"

"Because if you were, I'd have to pull my gun on you like this."

"Sir, sir, calm down."

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! I give the orders around here! YOU WORK FOR ME! DO YOU UNDERSTAND!"

"Yes, sir! My apologies, sir!"

**BANG**

The shot reverberated throughout the palace as a loud thud came from inside the room. "...Damn right you're sorry. You!"

"Y-y-yes, s-sir?"

"Since Captain Parker is no longer capable of giving your people orders, who's in charge now?"

"T-that would be Captain Shau, sir."

"Get Shau on the comm and tell him he's now in charge of all your people."

"Captain Shau is a woman, si-"

"I'm sorry, are you correcting me?"

"Uh, n-n-no, sir. I'll get on it right away, sir."

As the room fell silent, Mike stepped away from his eavesdropping position near the door. _"Damn, he's lost his mind."_

_ "Maybe if we give him enough time he'll kill off all the guards on his own." _Tarok half-joked.

_"Did you guys hear what he said? The parts Roache and his people were stealing from that store are for those things out there." _Alaia said.

_"He said he made a deal with them, so either those things can talk or he's completely lost touch with reality." _Mike said. _"My vote's on the latter."_

Nepturus then jumped in, _"Whatever happened, we need to let Tarok finish his business with him so we can finally focus on staying alive."_

_ "I'm heading towards the west side of the building to see if I can find the employee access. Sit tight." _Mike then left the ballroom doors and proceeded down the nearby hallway.

Suddenly, a door to his right hissed open and he was pulled into the darkened room as it closed behind him. He instinctively fought against his attacker, but was unable to subdue the assailant. After half a minute of struggle, Mike was forced against a wall and the lights kicked on to show Captain Shau with a gun aimed at his face. "What the hell was that for, Captain?" Mike tried to act clueless.

"Cut the crap, "Mr. Eastwood". I knew something was up with you when you gave me that phoney name, so I checked our personnel records and found no trace of a Joshua Eastwood. So I'll ask you nicely only once: Who are you and what are you doing here?" Her aim never wavered from his face as she spoke.

Weighing his options, Mike knew she wouldn't hesitate to shoot him unless she was willing to hear him out, so he gave a defeated sigh and said, "Alright, my name is Mike Reynolds."

"Good, that's half an answer, now answer the second half."

"It's a bit of a long story, but to keep it short and sweet, my friends and I are just trying to get off this rock alive, but in order to do that, one of my friends needs to fulfill a contract of his...to kill Chamberlain."

"I knew it! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just blow you away!"

"Because Chamberlain's not worth it."

"Be that as it may, he's still my boss and my current source of income, so why should I just let you kill him?"

"I just came here after overhearing a little conversation between Chamberlain and the late Captain Parker."

"'Late'? What do you mean late?" Her eyes showed a hint of curiosity at this.

"Like you said, Chamberlain's lost it. He killed the Captain just for talking to him. Then he made you his replacement. So what's going to happen when you do something he doesn't agree with and he finds someone to replace you?"

Shau's eyes went to the right for a moment in thought. _Damn, I knew he'd gone off the deep end, but this... _

_"Now's your chance, human. Take her down and get out of there!" _Tarok yelled over the comms.

Mike didn't answer, he just waited patiently for Shau to think it through. Her eyes went back to him, her scarred eye giving him the creeps somewhat. She then received a call on her omni-tool. "Don't move." She said before tapping her omni-tool to accept the call. "Shau here."

_"Captain, Chamberlain's just put you in charge of the operation."_

Her eyes blinked out of surprise before she asked, "What about Captain Parker?"

_"He's dead, ma'am. Chamberlain shot him."_

Shau didn't show any signs of fear or worry, she simply answered, "Got it. Over and out." Switching off the call, she turned her attention back to Mike. "Why should I trust you?"

"Because if you stick with Chamberlain, he's going to lose it again and end up getting you killed. My friend's only after Chamberlain, so help us out and we can help you get off-world."

"You already lied to me once, why should I believe you now?"

"If you'd rather take your chances with the maniac with the security mechs, that's your decision." Shau again shifted her eyes a few times, trying to think. "I did help you with those supply crates, if that counts for anything." Mike's joke made the older woman raise an eyebrow, obviously not interested in jokes.

After what seemed like an eternity, Shau lowered her weapon and collapsed it, placing it back on her side. "If this turns out to be a set up, I will personally castrate you. We clear?"

"Crystal."

Shau opened the door and checked both sides of the hallway. "Alright, follow me."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Mike followed Shau out of the room and down the hall. "Okay, they said they found an employee entrance near the irrigation systems on the west side of the compound, but they couldn't get it open."

"I know where it is. Stick close."

As they traveled the halls, Mike was surprised when Shau opted for some idle chit-chat. "So, Eastwood?" She asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, it was kinda the first thing that popped into my head."

"I could tell."

"Wait, if you knew I wasn't one of your guys right away, why didn't you just take me down?"

"Because unlike the rest of the assholes in this group, I don't believe in 'shoot first, ask questions later'."

"Sounds like you were a marine."

"Yeah, served for a few years until the turians blew the hell out of Shanxi."

"Oh yeah? Why'd you quit?"

"Various reasons. Mostly because I was sick of everyone wanting to keep the war with the turians going. Damn whiners."

"You didn't resent the turians for what they did?"

"...I didn't say that. I just said I didn't want to stay at war with them."

"Oh, so what were the other reasons?"

"None of your business."

"Okay then..." Mike knew better than to keep asking after that.

_"Mike, what's your ETA on that door?" _Nepturus asked, _"The guards are stepping up patrols around this area. We can't keep dodging them forever."_

_ "Mike here. We're on our way to the entrance, just sit tight."_

_ "Like we have a choice?" _Tarok quipped.

Mike shook his head and returned his attention to Shau, who was signaling him to follow her through another door leading to an elevator. "NO! No elevators!"

"What's your problem?" Shau asked, a bit startled by his outburst.

"Let's just say I don't have the best track record with elevators."

"Fine, we'll take the stairs. Jesus."

They proceeded down the nearest flight of stairs and came out in the sub-basement. Unlike the royal surroundings upstairs, the sub-basement was dank, dirty, and smelled of various fertilizers and cleaning solutions, making Mike cough at the strong aroma. "Ugh, I see the filters in these helmets don't do too much."

"Do you ever stop complaining?" Shau asked sarcastically.

_"Nope." _Tarok remarked over Mike's helmet radio.

"Screw you." Mike responded.

"What did you just say to me?" Shau turned to him in insult.

"Not you, I was talking to one of my friends over the radio."

"Uh-huh, didn't think so."

_"Good one, human. I think you ruined your chances at copulation."_

Making sure to turn off his speakers, Mike replied, _"Y'know, for a centuries old krogan, you act like a five year old."_

_ "Alright, you two, enough." _Alaia laughed. _"Almost to the door, Mike?"_

_ "I think so."_

_ "Alright, we'll head over to the panel and get ready." _Nepturus said.

Mike switched his speaker back on and said, "Sorry, one of the people I'm with can be...a bit difficult to get along with."

"Is he an asshole?"

"No, he's a krogan."

A little caught off guard by that, Shau said, "Huh, same thing."

"And just a quick heads up, since you mentioned the First Contact War...one of the others is a turian."

This made her go silent for a minute, not really sure how to respond. "...Thanks for telling me, might have blown his head off otherwise."

_"Oh great, another turian 'fan'." _Nepturus moaned.

"The third one's not a batarian, is he? That'd just complete the set." Shau scoffed.

"No, she's a quarian."

"No kidding? Never actually met a quarian before."

This caught Alaia's attention. _"Well, at least she's civil toward-"_

"I'll make sure to secure all my ammo pouches. The last thing I need is her stealing my thermal clips."

_"Damnit."_

Mike wanted to rebuke her xenophobic comments, but decided against it to save time. Shau stopped next to a ladder leading up to a panel. "Alright, hang on." She then climbed up the ladder and typed a code into control console, commanding the panel to hiss open and allowing what little sunlight could pass through the clouds of debris blanketing the city to shine in. Shau descended the ladder and crossed her arms.

The first one down was Nepturus, "Nice job, Mike. Don't know how much longer we could have stayed hidden out there." When he turned to look at Mike, he noticed Shau standing there with her burning stare. "Uh, hello. Nepturus Vitan." He offered a friendly handshake, only to be turned down with a glare. He then promptly lowered his hand. "Okay then."

Alaia was the next one down, though she had trouble climbing with Mike's jacket hindering her. She jumped off the fourth rung and said, "Whew, Mike, please take your jacket back. It looks great, but I don't think it's for me." Rolling his eyes, Mike took his jacket off her back, allowing her to stretch her back in contentment. "Ah, better." It's then that she caught sight of Shau as Tarok descended the ladder. "Hi, Alaia'Koran nar Ictomy, but you can call me Alaia." Trying to be friendly, she offered her hand.

"Don't bother." Nepturus whispered.

Shau took her hand and shook it, "Rebecca Shau."

Nepturus groaned at the obvious prejudice she was showing towards him. Tarok laughed as he got off the ladder. "Ha! Don't let it bother you, turian. I'm sure she's not the first woman that's refused to touch you."

"Laugh it up, Tarok."

"So," Shau started, "I take it you're the one who wants Chamberlain's head?"

"That's not going to be a problem, is it?" Tarok growled, making her aware he wouldn't tolerate interference.

Shau then pulled a combat knife from her side and held it up to Tarok's chin. "As long as you don't make one, no."

Surprised that a human would not only be unafraid of him, but also pull a knife on him without hesitation, Tarok let out a laugh, "Huh, respectable."

Shau put her knife back in its holster and started walking back from where they came. "So, we doing this or not?"

Mike had just gotten done removing the guard's armor and was putting his jacket back on as he noticed Tarok watching Shau walk away. He couldn't pass it up. "You two make such a cute couple, Big Guy." He laughed.

"Shut up, pyjak. Besides, I don't do human. Too squishy."

"Aw, c'mon, Tarok. I saw you looking at her scar." Alaia teased, a hand on her hip.

"GAH, let's just get this over with." Tarok stomped off towards Shau.

"Whew, I've never seen a krogan get so flustered before. Do you think he really...y'know..." Nepturus asked, only somewhat joking.

"I dunno, I've seen weirder." Mike said, "He's right though, we need to get focused now. Chamberlain's gone completely nuts, so we can't expect he'll take it easy on us."

"You're right, let's do this."

As the hurried to catch up to Tarok and Shau, Mike turned to Alaia and said, "Ready for this, Alaia?"

Though she tried to hide her nervousness, a little bit of it showed in her body language. "I'm with you guys, if that's what you mean."

Mike nodded in understanding as they caught up with Tarok. Alaia walked up next to him and said, "Hey, Tarok?"

"What?"

"I just wanted to say...thanks for sticking with us. We probably wouldn't have survived this long without your help."

Tarok was unsure how to respond to that. A few days ago, he would have shrugged her off and cared less about her appreciation. However, Tarok turned to her as they walked and said, "You're welcome. And girlie?"

"Hm?"

"...sorry about how I talked to you when we first met. You didn't deserve that."

Amazed that he'd apologized, she grabbed his arm on her side and hugged it, "Apology accepted."

A small smile formed across his face before he noticed Mike and Nepturus grinning at the scene, "Alright alright, let's cut out the mushy stuff before my quad falls off." He said, subtly telling Alaia to let go of his arm.

"Okay." Alaia let go of his arm. "Besides, I don't want you to start shedding tears all over me. I might drown."

Hearing this banter behind her, Shau rolled her eyes and said to herself, "How did these idiots survive this long?"


	19. Chapter 15: Ballroom Brawl

Chapter 15: Ballroom Brawl

London

Buckingham Palace

7:45 AM Galactic Standard Time

The door to the sub-basement hissed open as Captain Shau walked out into the hall first to see if the coast was clear. Once she saw that it was, she signaled to her new allies to follow her. Once they were out in the hall, Alaia was the first to react to the décor. "Whoa, this place is amazing!" She said in almost childlike wonder.

Nepturus then remarked, "Yeah, sure beats the hell out of the hotel."

Shau shook her head and said, "Are you going to stare at the floor molding all day or are we doing this?"

"She's right guys," Mike said, "we can admire the place later. We need to figure out how to get past all the guards."

"Leave that to me." Shau activated her omni-tool and opened her team's comm channel. "Attention all personnel, this is Shau. We've spotted some Reaper activity near the eastern side of the complex; all units are to take up combat positions there immediately, and when I say 'immediately', I mean RIGHT NOW!" Switching her omni-tool off, she looked at the group. "That should lighten the guard around rich boy."

"Will that get rid of all of them?" Mike asked.

"Hell no, most of the assholes I work with don't listen to me, but I know at least a couple dozen will, so that'll at least make it easier."

"Too bad, I was looking forward to putting them down." Tarok said, readying his shotgun.

"Whatever you say, Tarek."

"It's Tarok." He corrected, irritated that she mispronounced his name.

"I'd appreciate the correction if I gave a damn. Let's move."

She started down the hall as Tarok clenched his fists. "I should blow her away for talking to me like that."

"So why didn't you?" Alaia said knowingly.

"Don't you start! Let's just do this before I decide to stuff and mount her."

Tarok started after Shau as Alaia turned to Mike and Nepturus, shaking her head amusingly as they chuckled. They caught up with Tarok and Shau, admiring the royal décor along the way. Alaia, in particular, couldn't help but be enthralled by the many oil paintings of kings, queens and other noblemen long since passed. "That brushwork is beautiful, and look at the detail on that queen's robes. I'd love to do a sketch of that myself."

"Hm, these paintings sort of creep me out," Mike said, "the way they seem to just stare at you."

"Losing your nerve over paintings, human?" Tarok said, still blowing off steam from Shau's belligerence.

"No, I'm just saying, they put these things in horror movies for a reason: They're creepy."

"What do you do for a living that allows you to be such a wuss?" Shau remarked.

"I'm head of security for Eses Ventures, an archaeological group."

"What? The eggheads afraid they'll run into some living statues or, God forbid, creepy paintings?"

_Damn, she's worse than Tarok. _"They operate out in the Terminus Systems sometimes, so they need protection from pirates and slavers."

"If you say so...hold it!" Shau stopped at a hallway intersection, holding her hand up to signal the others to stop. She pressed against a wall and looked around the corner to see a group of five guards watching the patch to the ballroom. "Damnit, of all the times for these morons to actually start doing their jobs. Wait here, I'll get rid of them."

She calmly walked down the hallway and up to the group of guards. As she talked to them, Nepturus got out his assault rifle, anticipating a need to fight past them, Mike and Alaia doing the same with their weapons. After what seemed like a few minutes, Mike looked around the corner and saw that Shau was basically yelling at them to leave, but they weren't listening. "We might have to bail her out of this one, they're not-"

Just then, a series of gunshots rang out through the hall, forcing the group to jump around the corner with their weapons pointed down the hall. They were met with an unexpected sight as Shau was the only one left standing, the other guards lying on the ground in a heap as she expended the thermal clip from her pistol. She noticed the four standing there and said, "What? You ladies have never seen dead bodies before?"

Nepturus looked over the corpses and noticed they were each taken down cleanly with a single bullet to the head. "Damn, pretty impressive for five against one."

"Hmph, I could've killed them without the pistol." Tarok said, still bitter.

"We know you could have, Tarok." Nepturus said with a mocking flick of his mandible.

"I could also kill you without a pistol, turian." Tarok growled.

"If you two are done flirting," Shau remarked, becoming impatient, "could we get this over with?"

"F-FLIRTING!"

Mike stepped in before Tarok could advance on her. "Let it go, Big Guy. Just let it go."

Tarok clenched his fists and teeth, muttering to himself as he started past the bodies, "Stupid human, thinks she can talk to me like a varren, should've torn her tongue out of her mouth."

The others followed, but were sure to keep their distance, except for Shau, who didn't seem to care. Mike came up next to Shau and said, "Look, could you lay off Tarok a bit?"

"Aw, did I hurt the dinosaur's feelings? Well excuse me if I'm not willing to feign terror and pander to his ego."

"I didn't say you had to do that. I'm just saying, there's no need to be so disrespectful to him."

"If he shows me a reason to respect him, I'll consider it. Until then, let's just kill that asshole Chamberlain so I can get on with my life."

"Fair enough."

As the group neared the ballroom, they each readied their respective weapons, eager to finally finish what they'd set out to do. However, Mike reached into his pocket and realized something. "Damnit! Guys, how many clips do you have?"

Upon his realization, they each remembered that they'd run out of clips back at the restaurant chase. Nepturus shook his head, "Spirits, I forgot. We need to restock if we want any chance of taking Chamberlain head on. He still has his mechs with him most likely."

Shaking her head, Shau remarked, "You idiots 'forgot' that you ran out of ammo?"

Alaia, fed up with Shau's rudeness, came face to face with her and said, "Listen up, dragon lady! We've been trapped in an elevator, chased down stairs by hordes of monsters, trapped in another elevator that almost crashed, almost killed by a runaway subway car, and shot at by pirates and mutated turians; so if you think I'm in the mood to put up with your pompous, sarcastic, know-it-all attitude, you obviously don't know me very well! So are you going to help us find some ammo, or are you just going to insult us all day long?"

Shau just looked at her for a moment, not really reacting to what she had said at first. Then, a smile formed on her face as she started to chuckle. "Huh, I like you, kid. You don't take shit from anyone. You kinda remind me of myself."

Feeling somewhat flattered, Alaia said, "Really? Uh, thanks."

Checking her omni-tool, Shau brought up a map of the complex. "There's a supply room between here and the ballroom. You can resupply there."

"Sounds good to me." Nepturus responded.

"Alright then, let's make it quick." Shau led the way to the supply room, Alaia humming to herself in triumph.

Tarok shook his head and said to Mike, "How the hell does she do that?"

Mike just shrugged his shoulders as Shau opened a door on the left side of the hall, revealing a room full of crates. "Okay," Shau started, "take whatever you need, but don't take too long. Though the idiots I work with are mostly useless, they had to have heard those gunshots."

Nepturus opened a crate to reveal a bunch of packaged omni-tool parts. "Hey, it's the parts from the store we saw Roache robbing from."

"You know that scumbag?" Shau asked, checking the halls.

"Mike knows more than we do, we just 'met' him yesterday." Alaia answered, rummaging through the parts for something useful.

The robbery being brought up, Mike's curiosity kicked in. "Shau, what kind of deal did Chamberlain make with those things out there?"

"You mean the Reapers? Hell if I know."

"Reapers?...You mean like those old fairy tales?"

"Well, obviously, they're not fairy tales any more, are they?"

"Guess not."

"Anyway, we split up for an hour or so after the invasion first started, Captain Parker went with Chamberlain and his men while I went with mine. After we met back up, Parker told me that Chamberlain got separated from them and that he told them he had, supposedly, talked to one of the big Reaper ships. Said it called itself 'Executor'. He made a deal with it to collect all these parts in exchange for his life."

"You think that's true?" Tarok asked, grabbing as many thermal clips out of a crate as the others did the same.

"Personally, I think Chamberlain went crazy and imagined it. However, I do find it strange that the Reapers haven't attacked this place since we got here."

As Shau finished talking, Nepturus noticed a set of instructions in one of the crates and smiled. "Hey, Mike."

"Yeah?"

"Let me see your omni-tool for a second."

"Why?"

"Just trust me, you'll like this."

Not sure what Nepturus was up to, Mike activated his omni-tool and Nepturus did the same with his. He punched some commands into Mike's, downloaded some programs into it, then set it to reboot. "Okay, it should enter demonstration mode once your omni-tool reboots."

"What should?" Just as he'd finished asking, his omni-tool sprang to life and a red blade-like projection revealed itself with a _**SHING**_. Realizing what it was, Mike went, "Ooooooh, sweet, an omni-blade! I've been dying to get my hands on one of these for years."

Mike gave a few subtle practice swings and Nepturus explained, "I found the programs for it in this crate of military supplies, along with some shield generators. Give me a minute and I'll hook us all up."

"About damn time," Tarok started, "I was getting tired of dodging every shot."

"You're the one wearing body armor, Tarok. It doesn't have a shield generator in it?" Alaia asked as Nepturus installed a properly sized generator onto her enviro-suit.

"It did, but I had a run-in with some batarian pirates a few days ago and the old piece of junk finally fried on me. I was gonna get a new one until I had to rush here for this contract."

"Who hired you, anyway? I mean, I know Chamberlain must not be popular with most, but who'd risk exposing themselves by hiring a bounty hunter?" Mike asked as his new shield generator kicked on.

"No idea, he just said he was a competitor of his and wanted him out of the picture. As long as his credits are good, I could care less." Nepturus then finished replacing Tarok's generator and started putting his own in.

"So you accepted a contract without knowing who it was from? Why does that not surprise me?" Shau said, leaning against a wall.

"That's it!" Tarok got within inches of Shau and stared her down, the smaller woman not even budging an inch. "I've faced down the hordes of Clan Weyrloc, I've taken down thresher maws larger than dreadnoughts, I've survived more wars than you have years in your life, so I will be damned if I'll allow you to insult me one more time!" Shau said nothing, she just remained in her spot and began to laugh. "First you insult me and now you're laughing at me? Are all human females this insane?"

Shau then waved her hands in front of her, "No, no that's not it...it's just, you remind me of my husband. Every time I'd criticize something he did he'd always get in my face and demand respect...then later on we'd spar it out, patch each other up afterward and have a few stiff drinks. I don't mean to get sappy, but well, it just brought back some memories. Thanks, reptile."

"My name is Tarok, not reptile."

"I know." Shau responded before punching him lightly on the shoulder. "So, all of you geared up and ready or are we going to have a few more heartfelt moments before killing that asshole Chamberlain?" They each made sure they had plenty of thermal clips in their pockets and that their shield generators were up to speed before acknowledging they were ready. "Alright, let's go."

As Shau walked away, Mike noticed Tarok watch her exit the room first, a strange mix of irritation and fascination in his gaze. "You alright, Big Guy?"

Snapping himself out of his trance, Tarok answered, "Yeah, just wondering why I didn't kill her just now."

Mike shrugged. "You must be getting to like her."

"If you say so, human. I'll just be glad when we finally get this done and we can be rid of her."

"We'll see, I guess. After you."

With that, Tarok walked out the door with Mike, Nepturus and Alaia in tow. Alaia tapped Nepturus on the shoulder and whispered, "Seriously though, did you see how Tarok was staring at her as she walked away from him?"

"Yeah, but unless we want to insight Tarok to another shouting match, which I'm amazed didn't give us away a minute ago, we might want to let it go...for now." Nepturus winked, making Alaia do the same in jest.

When they finally reached the ballroom doors, Tarok, Mike, and Nepturus took cover behind the left side of the doors while Shau and Alaia took the right side. "Okay," Mike said, "everyone ready?"

"I've been ready since I came to this cursed planet, human." Tarok said, prepping his shotgun.

"As ready as I can be," Nepturus said, checking the hallway for hostiles, "let's get this over with."

Alaia made sure both of her SMG's were fully loaded before answering, "I'm ready, everyone be careful in there."

Shau put a hand on Alaia's shoulder, "You'll do fine, kid. Just do what I do if you need some...creative assistance."

"Alright, on the count of three..." Mike propped himself against the wall, preparing to help Tarok kick the door down.

"One..." Everyone's grip on their guns tightened slightly.

"Two..." An almost simultaneous breath was taken by each person.

"THREE!" Mike and Tarok kicked the door with all the force they could, breaking the locks and flinging them open at blinding speeds. Nepturus immediately took up a position near the center of the group with his sniper rifle while Alaia got on one knee with her SMG'S and Shau trained her pistol forward. As Mike and Tarok aimed their guns, looking for any targets, they all realized the same thing: the room was empty.

"What?" Nepturus asked, puzzled.

The room itself was massive, easily twice as large as the ballroom back at the Buckingham Terrace. The four large tables had each been turned over, their place settings scattered about in shattered heaps. Though many of the display cases and antiquities were still in place, a few of them were toppled over and smashed, destroying artifacts several hundred years old in an instant. The large chandelier on the ceiling was still giving off light, but several of the bulbs were flickering due to the constant tremors from the invasion outside upsetting the wiring.

As they each scanned the room for any evidence of where Chamberlain had gone, Shau said, "This isn't right, he wouldn't even leave this room to take a leek."

"Charming." Nepturus observed.

"She's right, turian," Tarok agreed, "something doesn't smell right."

Just as Tarok had finished talking, Alaia picked up a slight sound with her helmet's auditory sensors. _"get ready...on my mark"_

"They're here! Take cover!" Alaia shouted as over a dozen guards popped out from behind two of the overturned tables across the room and began firing.

The group returned fire, Nep lining up a shot as he ran with the others towards another table. He fired a shot, hitting his intended target and taking his head off. Mike and Tarok quickly grabbed the table as Alaia and Shau covered them, sliding it into a more defensible angle. They each took cover behind it, Alaia sending a burst of fire towards the left-most table, killing one guard and wounding another. Tarok collapsed his shotgun in favor of his assault rifle and quickly started picking off hostiles, killing three before ejecting his first clip of the battle. Shau managed to score a couple of headshots with her pistol before a stray shot tore through her shields and grazed her shoulder, causing her to grunt. Mike noticed and yelled, "Shau! You alright?"

Before answering, she gritted her teeth and popped out of cover, placing three direct hits into the faceplate of the guard that shot her before returning to cover. "I am now!"

"I meant physically!"

"Don't worry about it, it's just a scratch!"

Satisfied that she was alright, Mike returned to shooting at Chamberlain's goons, shooting a guard trying to roll between the two tables in the leg, stopping him mid-roll. As the guard cried out, another tried to grab him and pull him behind cover, only to be taken down by two quick head shots from Nepturus. "Not bad, turian!" Tarok approved.

"Thanks!" Nepturus replied, too busy sniping to comment on how odd it was to receive a compliment from him.

Then, just as there were only six or so guards left, the doors on the other side of the room slammed open, revealing what had to be twenty or so more guards. Mike saw this and said, "Oh come on! How many more of these assholes are there?" He and the others ejected their clips, readying themselves for the next wave, only to be surprised when the guards didn't start firing.

"Why'd they stop?" Alaia asked.

"I don't like this." Tarok added.

Finally, a high pitched screeching broke the silence, coming from the PA system.

_ Well, well, well. I was wondering when you were finally going to show up._

"Chamberlain!" Tarok called out, annoyed that he couldn't even muster enough courage to smack talk him in person.

_That's right, lizard-man! And I have to say, I'm actually impressed that you four managed to make it all the way from the hotel to here. Not REALLY impressed, mind you, but marginally impressed, nonetheless._

"I've come for the credits on your head, Chamberlain! It doesn't matter how many of your quadless varren you send, I will collect on my contract!"

At first, there was no reply from the PA, but that soon changed when a cackling laughter rang out through the entire palace. _You...you still don't get it, do you? I knew krogan weren't too bright in the first place, but...you really haven't figured it out._

"Stop talking in riddles human!"

Chamberlain's laughter finally ceased, replaced by mock heavy breathing. _Very well, then. I'll try to explain this simply so even the likes of you can understand it. Do you remember your old friend...oh, what was his name? Glo...tent? Glovent?_

"Glovenk?" Tarok asked, unsettled that Chamberlain would know that name.

_Yes, that's it! Well, I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but it seems he's gone up to the big terrarium in the sky._

"Glovenk's...dead?" The realization made Tarok lower his shotgun a bit, showing a form of confusion and sadness the others had never seen on him before.

_Indeed. So sorry about that. Anyway, since he's no longer around to lead your pitiful band, or clan or whatever you like to call your little groups, someone else has taken up the reigns. From what I managed to stay awake for while their new leader regaled me with all this useless knowledge, it seems he, along with everyone else in your group, didn't agree with Glovenk's decision to exile you._

"Exile? Tarok, what's he talking about?" Alaia asked, though Tarok didn't respond.

_Aww, you didn't tell your new friends about how you caused so many of your comrades to die needlessly and pretty much admitted it to your leader's face? Not surprising, honestly, but I digress. As I was saying, the other wanted something more...permanent to be done about you, so when their new leader assumed command, he made YOU his first order of business. So, he contacted me and gave me an offer: He gives me an excellent smuggling route through the Krogan DMZ, and in exchange, I take care of his little 'problem'."_

Tarok's eyes widened, realizing what Chamberlain was telling him.

_Do you understand now, you drooling neanderthal? It wasn't I who had a price on his head...it was YOU._

The others could only watch as Tarok's eyes darted back in forth in a mixture of confusion, rage, and heartbreak.

_Now, I know what you're thinking: "But what about the message I got contracting me to kill you?" Hm, that's a good point. Did it sound something like, ahem, "Mr. Tarok, I hope this message finds you well. I have a...competitor that I've heard you are more than capable of dealing with..." Need __I go on?_

Though Tarok could now tell that the voice was Chamberlain's, beforehand, he would never have known, which angered him even further.

_Isn't it hilarious? Once you'd arrived at the party, I'd had auto-turrets installed and ready to take you out in seconds, and all the VIP's would have considered me a hero for eliminating a krogan terrorist. So, tell me, how does it feel to know that you have been so thoroughly outclassed? _

"Don't listen to him, Tarok. He's just trying to psyche you out...Tarok?" Nepturus said as Tarok just sat there staring at the ceiling, his eyes nearly lifeless with defeat and his gun lying limp in his hand.

"He played me...they played me..." Tarok muttered to himself, totally detached from reality.

"Tarok! Come on, you can't let him get away with that!" Mike said, shaking the krogan's shoulder.

_Mike Reynolds...I must say I'm especially surprised you made it this far._

Mike peeked over the cover to see the twenty plus guards training their guns on them. "Yeah, you're a big man with two dozen guys covering your ass, aren't you?"

_Heh, you even sound like him. It's uncanny, really?_

Puzzled, Mike asked, "Like who?"

_Your father, of course._

Unwilling to let Chamberlain get in his head, Mike asked, "How do you know my dad?"

_Oh, I know him very well. I served with him during the First Contact War...well, I say 'served', though I was never a part of the Alliance I was on Shanxi when the turians invaded. _

"Bull! You can't be any older than I am!"

_Ah, the wonders of genetic modification. If you can afford it, you can make yourself look young even when you're pushing forty-five. Though, I must admit, it's mostly cosmetic._

"He wears makeup?" Alaia chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

Mike replied to him, "Okay, so you knew my father, big deal!"

_Oh but it is a 'big deal'. You see, after the war ended, your father quit the Alliance, as he __rightfully should have. They wanted to make peace with the aliens, have us grovel at their feet to avoid obliteration instead of making them pay for what they'd destroyed. So, about a decade afterward, I managed to get a lucrative business going for myself, but I had a small snag. There was a turian colony world whose patrols were interfering with my 'shipments': Aprodia._

"What?" Mike asked himself. _That's the planet dad was attacking for all those years...wait a minute._

_ Ah, now you're getting to the meat of it. I knew your father was no friend to the turians or the Alliance, so I contacted him to aid me in my little problem. Offered him a split of my profits from those shipments if he'd lead my team to distract the turians long enough for my shipments to go through._

"That's a lie!"

_Oh no, it's absolutely true. And you know what else? He never once mentioned you or your mother...he actually requested more work from me to get him away from home._

Mike's fists began to clench as a look of pure, unfiltered rage began to build on his face.

_In fact...if I didn't know any better...I'd say he didn't care about you. Isn't that sad?_

Seeing red, Mike popped out of cover and started spraying bullets at the guards, killing a surprising amount as they scrambled for cover. Getting back behind the table, he said, "I'm gonna kill him! I'm gonna tear his arms off and beat him to death with them!"

"Mike-" Before Nepturus could calm him down, bullets started buzzing past his head, forcing him to return fire.

"Wow, kid. When you get mad you don't screw around!" Shau joked, firing off a few shots with her pistol.

Mike nearly jumped up to shoot some more, but saw that Alaia had crawled over next to Tarok, who was still just staring into space. "Tarok, come on, we need your help."

"So stupid...they all played me..."

Not in the mood for Tarok's self-pity, Mike shouted, "Tarok! We could really use your shotgun right now!"

"Just leave me to die like I should have done years ago, human."

Almost without thinking, Mike grabbed Tarok by the collar of his armor and smacked him as hard as he could. "TAROK!" The krogan's eyes were now looking right at him, unsure of how he'd just been smacked and wasn't killing the one responsible. "He screwed me over too, but you don't see me laying down and letting him laugh about it, do you? The Tarok I know would have already plowed by those assholes down there and had his shotgun up Chamberlain's ass at this point! Now I don't know about you, but I intend to make Chamberlain eat all thirty-two of his teeth, one at a time, and I want you to have a chance at force feeding him half of them." Tarok eyes lowered slightly, then moved to the left in thought. Mike grabbed Tarok's shotgun off of his back and placed it in his hands. "Come on, let's show Chamberlain and his goon squad why it's not a good idea to screw with a krogan." Tarok looked to Alaia, who nodded her head to him. He then looked to Nepturus, who did the same, despite the bullets constantly impacting the table. Looking back to Mike, he closed his eyes as his hands clenched his shotgun even tighter and a large smile formed on his face.

"OOOOH CHAMBERLAAAAAIN!" He sing-songed as he overcharged his shotgun, pointing it at the tables the guards were hiding behind. He fired off a shot, sending dozens of molten shards of tungsten flying at the table, obliterating it and most of the guards using it for cover on impact. Firing off another at the second table, it had the same results, leaving all the guards completely exposed. "YOUR ASS IS MINE!"

Mike, Nepturus, Alaia, and Shau took this as a call to arms and each jumped over the table and began mowing down the guards, who quickly began to panic. Nepturus sniped two guards as they tried to climb out of a nearby window while Alaia took down three trying to escape through the doors. Tarok laughed as he charged into two more guards, slamming them through a wall and killing them. Shau ran up to a lone guard and grabbed his assault rifle, ripping it out of his hands and shooting with it as Mike got a chance to test out his new omni-blade on two guards trying to jump him. He stabbed one guard through the stomach and tripped over the other, finishing him on the ground. With that, they were all dead, leaving the group time to eject their spent clips.

_Hm, it seems my security force isn't all it was cracked up to be. Oh well._

The PA loudly cut out as Alaia whooped in victory. "OH YEAH! We showed those bosh'tets who's boss!"

"Don't celebrate yet, girlie." Tarok said, having regained his vigor. "I doubt that's the last resistance he's got set up."

"It's not." Shau said, inspecting her new assault rifle. "He's got maybe a dozen or so security mechs around, including ODIN mechs."

"Alright, he's got to be upstairs. Let's put him in his place." Nepturus said, surprising Mike.

"Really? You still want to go after him, even after we just learned Tarok's contract was a lie?"

"After the way he just tried to kill us and the way he talked to you two? Hell yes!"

Mike high-fived Nepturus and said, "Alright, where do you think he is?"

Shau pulled up her map again, pointing to a room on the top floor. "Captain Parker set this up as a fallback point. It's highly defensible and hard to get to if you block off the right hallways."

"HA! Just let him try to hold us off." Tarok laughed.

"Okay, let's go." Mike said, walking with the others to the doors.

"Hey...Reynolds." Mike stopped for a second, amazed that Tarok had actually used his name. "Thanks for reminding me how to be a krogan."

"No problem, Big Guy. Let's go show Chamberlain what you learned."

Tarok nodded and smiled as they went through the ancient wooden doors, ready to finish what they'd started.


	20. Chapter 16: Sharing the Burden

Chapter 16: Sharing the Burden

Atlek-5

Ripley's Hope General Hospital

7:25 AM Galactic Standard Time

"Uhhhhh..." Julia groaned as she awoke. Her eyes were closed, but the bright lights of the cafeteria still shone through her eyelids, making it a painful prospect to open them. Reluctantly, she slowly lifted her eyes open, letting them adjust to the light before noticing that Marie was sitting across from her, two cups of coffee between them.

"Sleep well?" Marie asked, gently nudging a cup toward her.

Taking the cup, Julia said, "No...has there been any news?"

"I'm sorry, dear, no. The most we've heard is that the planet's been evacuated as much as possible."

Julia looked down into her coffee cup, knowing that if Mike had made it off the planet he would have called her. "Oh Marie...he's still there. He's trapped there or worse, I know it!"

"You need to stay strong, Julia. We don't know anything yet."

"I know..." Julia forced herself to take a sip of her coffee, finding it hard to concentrate on much else. "Thanks for the coffee."

"You are most welcome. I know it's helped me through some hard times."

Taking another sip, Julia realized that she had been sobbing long enough. "I'm ready to get back to work today."

"You're sure? You can take as much time as you need."

"Marie, if I sit here and worry myself sick any longer I'm going to lose my mind. I need something to do, something to take my mind off of things for a while."

"I understand...just remember, we have a few more doctors on staff now, so if you need to take a break, don't hesitate to say so."

"I won't." Julia then looked over to the holoscreen, watching the footage from Earth now being shown alongside images from other planets as well, one of which truly disturbed her. "Palaven? They're attacking Palaven?"

"Yes, the reports say they're even going for Thessia."

Not wanting to think about it any further, Julia finished her cup of coffee and got up. "I better get back to work. Tell me if there's any more news."

"Of course. Remember to take it slow."

"I will." As Julia walked away, Marie turned her attention back to the holoscreen, where more footage from Earth was showing a view of New York City, her hometown. Seeing the Statue of Liberty in tatters and most of the city smoldering was enough to bring a tear to her eye, but she kept a stiff upper lip to show a strong front for the others in the hospital.

"Jake...if you're up there like you said you'd be...we could use some help." Marie then finished her own coffee and returned to her own rounds, her own fears still floating in the back of her mind.

SSV Patillo

Shanxi-Theta Relay

7:20 AM Galactic Standard Time

"I've tried everything I can think of to get this crate open," Cadet Lucy Miles said to Cadet Jeremy Jones, "I don't know what's wrong with it."

"You told the captain about it?"

"Yeah, he said he'd send someone to help me when he found time."

"Then you're probably not gonna get any help for a while, the captain's got his hands full right now."

"I know, but I really need to get these mods into the crate before the gunnery chief chews me out again."

"Not to worry, Lucy," Jones bragged, obviously trying to impress his fellow cadet, "I'll help you get this thing figured out." Lucy rolled her eyes and groaned to herself.

While this conversation was going on, several quarian marines were busy unloading some equipment from their transport. One of them had overheard the dilemma and called to them as he approaced. "Excuse me! Do you need some help?"

Jones looked over to the quarian, a little unsure of him. "Uh, no thanks, engineering stuff."

"You sure? I was trained in things such as this as a child."

Jones was about to refuse him again before Lucy said, "Well, I'm sort of desperate right now. I've been trying to get this crate open since last night. I've tried every access code we have on file and every bypass trick I know and it just won't budge."

The quarian knelt down next to the crate and examined it as he activated his omni-tool. "Hm, let me see..."

As the quarian worked, Jones noticed the look Lucy was starting to give him, which he recognized as a sign of mild attraction. Jealousy beginning to well up inside him, he said, "Look, uh..."

"Gelek'Turen."

"Yeah, whatever. Lucy here is a trained Alliance engineer with five years of experience under her belt, so if she can't figure it out, what makes you think you-"

"I see the problem."

"What?" Jones said, flabbergasted.

"Yes, someone's overwritten the usual operating protocol and enacted their own access denial program."

Lucy brought her hand to her forehead, "Ugh, I can't believe I didn't see that. How'd you find it?"

"It was cleverly hidden behind several junk files meant to store destination and delivery serial numbers. I almost missed it myself though, don't feel too bad."

"Thanks...I feel better now." Lucy fluttered her eyelashes slightly. Jones crossed his arms and rolled his eyes and the obvious flirt.

"All I need to do is bypass their lockout protocol using the same backdoor they used and...there."

As he finished typing commands into the console on the crate, it hissed as several locks were released and the lid slowly opened, revealing what was inside. Seeing what was inside the crate, Jones said, "Who the hell is that?"

Mess Hall

Being only 0720 hours, only a couple of marines were in the mess hall, meaning it was relatively calm and quiet. As such, Narala appreciated the chance to sit down and collect her thoughts over a hot cup of coffee, even if the coffee was military grade and not exactly the kind she was used to. Still, she kept both hands on the cup as she contemplated her life had changed so drastically in the last couple of days and how she'd managed to stay so calm. She kept thinking about the last time she'd spoken to Mike, how routine it seemed to say goodbye to him and to not even think it might be the last time she'd ever see him. That thought almost brought her to tears again, but she fought them back as she took another sip.

"Excuse me," Narala looked up to see a female quarian standing on the other side of the table holding a tray with a couple of tubes of nutrient paste on it, "I hope you don't mind, but is this seat taken?"

Narala noticed the quarian's voice was of an older woman, though not elderly, more in the middle-aged area, as well as her slight accent when speaking. Though she knew that she was more than likely a hundred years older than the woman, she knew that a show of respect was still in order. "No, it's free. Go right ahead."

"Thank you." She then sat down, laying her tray on the table and preparing a tube system to be attached to one of the nutrient paste tubes. "Truth be told, I'm not exactly in the mood to eat right now, but I need to retain my strength."

"Hm, I know just what you mean. I have to keep a brave face for my friends or they'll start babying me...hell, they're already starting to do that."

"It seems we share a similar burden then...Palana'Koran vas Ictomy." She offered her hand to the woman across from her.

Narala accepted it and said, "Narala Cantalin."

Palana hooked up her eating apparatus and continued, "So, why are you risking being here? You don't seem to be a military person."

Narala looked back down to her coffee cup. "A...friend of mine was on Earth when the Reapers invaded. I came here to try and see if there was anything I could do to help."

"I know how you feel...my daughter is on Earth as well. My husband and I had planned to storm the planet in hopes of finding her, but the captain of this ship stopped us."

"I'm so sorry..."

"As I am for your friend. What is his name? If you don't mind my asking."

"Mike Reynolds...he's the head of security for my team. He's human, but he isn't like most of the humans I've met. He's smart, understanding, funny...caring." Again, Narala had to fight off tears as she nearly choked up. "I'm sorry...damnit, I need to get it together."

"Don't be sorry, I'm the same way. I'm horrified that my daughter may be hurt or worse, but a part of me remembers that she's a strong young woman who isn't as easily beaten as my husband and I believe. Your Mike sounds like a similar individual."

"He is...heh, I always felt so safe when he was around, like nothing could ever get past him. Now he needs my help and I can't do anything. It...it kills me inside."

"Hm...disasters have a strange way of bringing people together."

"No kidding. What's your daughter's name?"

"Alaia."

"Tell me about her."

Palana took a deep, calming breath before responding, "She's the most independent quarian I've ever known. Ever since she was a little girl she's loved art. I don't know exactly what started it, but if she liked it, she painted it. Over time, she became quite talented...gifted even. She has pieces hanging in her room that I'm sure any art collector would die to own, but she'd never part with them. One of her most prized pieces is her own enviro-suit."

"Oh?"

"Oh yes. She got her first suit when she came of age and modified the designs on it somewhat. Her father was furious, but she didn't care. When she was fitted for her newest one, I allowed her to design it, something usually reserved for quarians who had completed their pilgrimage, but I knew she'd simply change it later anyway. When she put it on for the first time...I cried. She looked so beautiful. The designs were so intricate and the deep red hue made her glow against the rusted walls of the Ictomy."

"She sounds like a prodigy."

"She is, but not just in art. She's gifted with electronics as well, even for a quarian. She even custom built her own omni-tool using parts she salvaged from several liveships."

"You and your husband must be proud."

"We are, though one of us has a difficult time showing it...but enough about that. Thank you for allowing me to talk to someone about this. I did not wish to bother the captain and my husband has enough worries on his mind."

"And thank you for letting me vent, it actually helped a lot."

Just then, a hissing behind them signaled the arrival of the elevator. The doors opened, revealing Haal and Captain Welch, both with their hands behind their backs. They exited the elevator, Haal approaching Palana. "I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, 'Lana. The captain and I managed to come to an acceptable arrangement."

Palana smiled and lightly hugged her husband, "That's alright, I'm glad we could come to an arrangement."

Captain Welch smiled and said, "Yes, negotiations were a bit...strained at first, but we managed to work it out." He then noticed Narala sitting at the mess table. "I see you've met Ms. Cantalin."

"Yes, she and I were just chatting while I had my breakfast."

Haal politely offered his hand to Narala, who promptly took it. "Thank you for keeping my wife company."

"It was no problem."

Palana looked to her husband, "Haal, you haven't eaten in the last two days, you should eat something."

"Perhaps later, my love. I need to make sure our supplies are being handled properly right now."

Knowing better than to argue with him, Palana nodded her head and dropped the issue. As Haal left to check the supplies that had already been brought to the kitchen, the elevator hissed open again, revealing Telius and Nick. "Hey 'Rala!" Nick called out, catching her attention.

"Nick, Telius. Decided to start ridding the kitchen of all the food, I see."

"I doubt I could eat most of what they'd keep on an Alliance ship," Telius responded, "but we brought enough supplies on the ship to keep me."

"Please tell me they have bacon and eggs in this place." Nick asked, his mouth practically watering.

Welch, rolling his eyes, said, "If by 'bacon and eggs' you mean military rations, then yes."

"Aw dammit! And people wonder why I never joined up."

Amused by their antics, Palana asked, "Who're your friends?"

"These are two of the security personnel for my group, Telius Renactus and Nick Grani."

Telius offered his hand. "Ma'am." Palana shook it briskly.

Nick did the same, only with a humorous bow. "A pleasure." Palana chuckled as she accepted the handshake. Nick then saw the cup of coffee Narala had in front of her. "Oh thank God they have coffee!" He then made his way to the coffee dispenser. "You want any, Telius?"

"Can't drink coffee, remember?"

"Oh yeah. Well, sucks to be you."

As Telius took a seat next to Narala, she remembered something the captain had said earlier. "Captain?"

"Hm?" He replied.

"When we first met yesterday, you reacted strangely when I mentioned Mike's name."

"Oh...you noticed that, did you?"

"Difficult not to."

"You're wondering if I know him, I guess."

"Yes."

"Well, I don't know him personally, but I do know his father: Joshua...well, I knew him."

"Mike's told us a few things about his dad, but he doesn't like to talk about him." Telius said.

"He was a very cool customer when I first met him. A real 'ladies man'. During basic, he used to hit on any woman he saw, even superior officers."

"Heh, kinda like me." Nick said as he sat on the other side of Narala.

Narala and Palana chuckled at this, Narala replying, "He must have pretty popular."

"That's one word for it. I don't think I've seen a cadet since that got as many disciplinary duties as Josh did. He was a good friend."

"So, what happened?"

"...The First Contact War happened." The captain took the opportunity to sit down at the end of the table, cupping his hands together. "We were on shore leave on Shanxi. We were eating at a restaurant on the planet capital. About an hour later, the orbital strikes started. Dozens of turian cruisers started battering the planet from above, taking out entire city blocks in a single strike. Josh and I managed to get past the rubble and join up with several squads of military and police forces. We set up a bunch of guerrilla strikes against turian command posts and encampments, but we lost a lot of friends with some of them."

Telius took the short pause to say, "Well...this is awkward."

"Don't worry about it. I'm not one for grudges." Welch said, easing Telius' worries somewhat. "After a few days of fighting, General Williams called in the surrender, which infuriated a lot of us, including Josh, who just an hour earlier failed to save a soldier's life after he'd been caught in a building collapse...his name was Michael."

"He named Mike after him." Narala observed.

"Apparently so...even though most of the Garrison had been captured, a few of us circumvented Williams' orders and started covertly attacking enemy positions and trying to wear out the turians little by little. About a month later, the Second Fleet arrived and managed to fight them off. We were getting ready to join up with the rest of the fleet to prepare for a full scale conflict...but, well, you know the rest."

"The Council pulled the plug on the war. Good thing too." Nick said, sipping his coffee.

"Yes it was. Most of us knew that, had we kept fighting, the turians would have more than likely won. They had superior firepower, numbers, and technology. We could have held out for a few years, but we would have lost eventually. Unfortunately, some of us felt the turians needed to be punished for what happened, even though both sides made mistakes. Josh was one of them."

"So Mike's father left the Alliance because they stopped the war?" Telius asked.

"No, he left because no one was willing to try and punish the turians. We were just happy the fighting had ended with minimal casualties and wanted to put it behind us as much as possible. Josh was disgusted at how quickly the Alliance chose to let what happened go, so he left. He also expected me to go with him...when I said no, he basically told me to go rot in hell and walked away. I haven't spoken to him since."

"Wait, if you haven't spoken to him since, how did you know Mike was his son?" Narala asked.

"I checked on his records about ten years after the war ended and it listed that he had a son, Michael Reynolds. Who knows, maybe this whole tragedy will at least let us speak to each other again."

Narala, Nick, and Telius looked at each other solemnly. Narala put her coffee cup down and said, "I'm sorry to tell you this...but Mike's father is dead."

Welch's face dropped upon hearing this. "Oh...I see. How did it happen?"

"From what Mike told us, he had a heart attack about a week ago." Telius answered.

"A heart attack?" Welch asked confusedly. "He couldn't have been more than fifty-five...sixty years old. A century ago, this wouldn't have surprised me, but today it's pretty rare for a man to have a heart attack at all, let alone at such a young age."

"That's what I said." Nick said, finishing up his coffee.

Palana, who had remained silent for the last minute or so, said, "I'm sorry for your friend's loss."

"I'll make sure to pass it-" Narala was cut off by the sound of the elevator opening.

"Let go of me already! I CAN walk, you know!"

Welch turned around in his seat to see Cadets Miles and Jones holding a young woman with red hair by her arms, albeit with great effort. "What's going on?" He asked.

"Captain Welch, sir. We found this woman hiding in the crate I couldn't open yesterday." Lucy answered.

"She must've been one of the civies we evacuated yesterday." Jones added, having difficulty hanging on to her arm.

As Welch got out of his seat and approached the woman, she said, "If you don't let go of my arms..."

"You'll what, sweetheart? Scream at me some moOOF!" Before he could finish, the woman slammed her elbow into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

"I warned him."

"Alright, enough! Let go of her Ms. Miles. Jones...go catch your breath, son." Welch ordered, allowing Jones to walk away to cough and regain his composure. "Now, what do you have to say for yourself, Ms..."

"Samantha Miller, and I couldn't just run off to God knows where while my friend is in trouble."

"I understand your feelings, believe me, but what you did was dangerous. You prevented Cadet Miles from performing her duties, put yourself in unnecessary danger, compromised my ship's security, and assaulted one of my men."

"Hey, he asked for it!"

Looking over to Jones, who was holding his stomach and breathing deeply, Welch said, "Be that as it may, you're still in trouble."

Knowing she'd been caught, Samantha sighed. "I'm sorry, I just...I panicked. He's my friend and I was so scared I'd never see him again...I didn't know what else to do."

Welch could tell that she was fighting the urge to cry. Rolling his eyes, he said, "Look, I can't let you stay here, so we'll have to take you back to Epyrum. If you give me his name I'll put out a call to all of our evac sites to keep an eye out for him. That's the best I can do."

Though she wanted to argue the issue, she knew she'd fail, so she relented. "Nepturus Vitan. He's a turian with blue clan markings."

"Alright, I'll make sure our people are watching for him."

"Wait, he was with some other people."

"Who?"

"I can't really remember their names, I was only with them for a few minutes and I was freaking out. One of them was a guy with blue eyes and messy hair. He was wearing this old leather jacket."

Hearing this, Narala's head shot up, along with Nick's and Telius'. "Wait a minute!" She yelled, turning to Samantha. "Did his jacket have the words 'Old Navy 2094' on the right side?"

"Uh, I'm not sure...wait, I think he said his name was Mike."

Narala jumped out of her seat. "Oh Goddess! How was he? Was he alright? Was he hurt?"

Samantha threw her hands in front of her. "Woah woah woah, he was fine. You know him?"

"Yes! He's a friend of ours. Where is he now?"

"I don't know, he and the others Nep was with had to stay behind when the transport ran out of room."

Nick slapped Telius on the shoulder. "What'd I tell you? He's alright!"

Himself breathing a sigh of relief, Welch took control of the situation. "I'm glad you've finally gotten some news about him, but let's stay cool, alright? Now, who else was with them?"

"Uh, a krogan with a blue...whatever they call it...crest? I think his name was Tarek or Turok or something."

"Anyone else?"

"Yeah, the last one was a quarian girl in a red enviro-suit."

Palana now jumped out of her seat at the table. "Keelah! That's my daughter! Was she alright? Please tell me she's alright!"

"The last time I saw them they were all fine. They were kicking ass actually; just plowing right through those things."

"What things?" Telius asked.

"Those monsters down there. They looked like humans, but they were mutated...with this creepy blue glow."

"Husks." Welch said, having heard of them from reading reports of the Eden Prime attack three years prior.

"I have to tell Haal about this. Excuse me." Palana, on the verge of breaking down, hurried off to the kitchen.

"So Mike and the others were fine?" Telius asked Samantha.

"Yeah, like I said, they were holding their own. They fought their way through the hotel to find me, then they fought more of them to get me to the transport."

"See? Mike's taking care of business down there! Told you we had nothing to worry about." Nick said, mostly out of his own relief.

Narala looked to Samantha and said, "Thanks for telling us...at least we know he made it though the initial attack. That's something."

_"Captain?" _Comm officer Jacobs called over the PA.

"Yes?"

_"Admiral Hackett's hailing us, sir. It's labeled as a priority call."_

"Patch it through to the bridge. I'll be there shortly."

_"Aye-aye, sir."_

"Alright, Miles, Jones, keep an eye on Ms. Miller."

"Yes, sir." Lucy answered.

"Permission to throw her in the brig, sir?...please?" Jones laced the last word with as much disdain as possible as Samantha threw him a hateful glare.

"Permission denied. Just keep her here for now...and try not to disrespect her again." Welch entered the elevator and said, "Bridge," prompting it to close and begin it's ascent.

Jones looked Samantha in the eyes and said, "Alright, you caught me off guard with that last one, but try it again and you'll see what three years of Alliance combat training can do to your GAH!" He ceased his threat as a knee swiftly struck his groin, causing him to collapse.

"Three years, huh? Must've been unconscious for most of it." As Samantha took a seat at a nearby table, Lucy looked over to Narala, Nick, and Telius and began to giggle at Jones' expense.

Back in the mess hall's kitchen, Haal had just finished making sure his people's supplies were stored correctly when Palana came running. "Haal!"

Startled, he turned to his wife and caught her as she hugged him tightly. "'Lana, what is it?"

"She's alive, I know it!"

"Of course she is, it's good that you have so much faith."

"No, one of the evacuees from Earth was just found in the cargo hold...she saw her. She's alive!"

Barely able to hide his own excitement, Haal asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, she described her before I even said anything to her. I knew she was alive."

Haal held his wife tightly as she began to release a torrent of tears, half out of happiness, half out of worry. He then brought her face to look into his as he allowed their masks to touch, the closest thing to a kiss quarians could get to while their suits were on, and allowed her to vent her feelings in silence as he himself subtly allowed a single tear to run down his cheek.

On the bridge, Welch exited the elevator to see the image of Admiral Hackett displayed on the comm station. _"Bill, I hope I'm not interrupting anything."_

"Nothing that can't wait, Steve. We just found a stowaway and we're preparing to take her back to Epyrum."

_"That ties in to what I have to tell you. I'm afraid that's not going to be possible."_

"What do you mean?"

_"We're now making your station at the Shanxi-Theta an Omega level priority."_

"That means we can't leave the relay for any reason, doesn't it?"

_"Not unless there's any imminent chance of a Reaper attack."_

"I don't see the point, Steve. If the Reapers can destroy these ships so easily, why keep us here?"

_"...Are you aware of the other relays that link up to the Sol system?"_

"Yes, there are several of them. Why?"

_"The Reapers have made each of them inoperable except for the one you're guarding right now."_

Realizing what Hackett was getting at, Welch said, "Why would they remotely deactivate all of the relays leading to the Sol system except for this one?"

_"Exactly. We know they're using this relay for something, but we don't know what."_

"Maybe they're just planning on using it for transport?"

_"That's the odd part. The other relays are only inoperable to non-Reaper vessels. One of our teams spotted a Reaper passing through a relay that was thought to have been shut down. They can still use the others even when most of their functions have been removed, which leaves the question of why they left this one completely functional. We need you to remain there to gather as much intel as possible on their activity with it."_

"...Aye-aye, sir. I guess this means we'll have another unexpected guest with us for the duration of our stay."

_"If you had been aware of her hours ago I would gladly allow you to make the trip to Epyrum, but since then the other relays have been shut down and now we need to find out why they need this one left completely operational. We can't risk any of you leaving the others without backup."_

"Alright, I'll relay the information to Juarez and...ugh."

_"I've already informed Henry of the situation, he was no happier than you are."_

"Thanks for that."

_"I know you and Henry don't see eye to eye...hell, few people see eye to eye with him, but now that you're backing each other up, you need to put those differences behind you."_

"I know, he doesn't make it easy, though."

_"No, he doesn't. I have to go, stay safe out there. Hackett out."_

Welch turned from the console and looked out to the mass relay in the distance, a quizzical look on his face. "What the hell are you up to?" He asked, contemplating the events of the last few hours. After a few minutes of silence, he turned to Jacobs and said, "Jacobs, I need you to do something for me."

"Sir?"

"I need you to get me into contact with someone."

"Who, sir?"

"Julia Reynolds."


	21. Chapter 17: Showdown

Chapter 17: Showdown

London

Buckingham Palace

7:55 AM Galactic Standard Time

Having exited the ballroom, the group followed Shau up a staircase leading to Chamberlain's fallback point. "He'll be holding up inside royal bedroom suite on the top floor. Stick close and check your corners; those mechs will be waiting."

"How many can we expect?" Nepturus asked, looking behind them.

"I didn't get a chance to do a full inventory, but I'd guess somewhere around seventy to eighty light mechs and a couple heavies."

"We'll see how effective they are after I'm done with them." Alaia quipped, already checking her omni-tool.

"Let us know when you're about to hack them so we can cover you." Mike advised.

"Okay, it shouldn't take me too long to take them all offline."

"Still, go ahead and leave a few of them hostile. I could use the target practice." Tarok laughed, cocking his shotgun.

"Just remember to save some of that for Chamberlain." Mike said as they reached the top of the stairs.

Shau took point and peeked around the corner, looking down another hallway. Once she saw that it was clear, she signaled the others to follow her. As they approached the halfway point of the hall, the lights around them flickered off, immersing them in darkness. "Damnit! He must've cut the power." Nepturus said, switching the flashlight on his omni-tool on along with the others.

"Good catch, turian." Tarok rolled his eyes.

The flashlights illuminated the hall just enough to allow them to proceed toward the next. As they approached another corner, Shau again peeked around the corner just before a barrage of gun shots impacted the wall inches from her face. "Found the mechs."

"Hostiles located!" One mech droned out as the sound of metallic footsteps echoed throughout the halls. Several basic security mechs proceeded towards them, Shau shooting one of their arms off, only succeeding in slowing it down. "Attention," it said, "you are not authorized to enter this area. Please come out with your hands up so we may execute you with extreme prejudice."

"Well, this is an upgrade." Mike said as he rolled across the hall to an open doorway for cover. "At least the mechs are polite as they try to kill you!" He then popped out of cover and fired on the mech, finishing it off.

"Unit down. Requesting reinforcements." Another mech said, firing on Mike's position. Alaia tapped a command into her omni-tool as she jumped past Shau and sent a signal into the mech, causing it to convulse for a second. As she ran into the same room as Mike, the mech stood back up. "Friend/Foe protocols overwritten. New targets acquired." The mech turned on its heels and immediately began firing on its former comrades, blowing the head off of one and taking the legs off of another before one managed to take it down.

"Not bad." Mike commented to Alaia before joining Shau, Nepturus, and Tarok, who were blasting away the mechs that had pushed past their hacked ally.

"Any chance you could do that with all of them, girlie?" Tarok said after he shot the shooting arm off of a mech, only for it to reach down and take the gun out of its dismembered arm and continue firing.

"I'm trying! I keep getting locked out!" Just then, a grenade rolled up to Mike's feet, which he quickly kicked back down the hall, taking out a group of mechs and shaking the foundation as it went off. "The firefight going on isn't helping much either!"

As Nepturus used his omni-tool to overload a mech, sending it crumbling to the ground, he said, "Keep working on it! We'll cover you!"

"How many more are there?" Mike shouted as he ejected a thermal clip from his assault rifle.

Tarok sent a shotgun blast down the hall as he said, "Enough to waste all of our ammo!"

As mech after mech was destroyed, it seemed as though they weren't letting up. Nepturus sniped a mech before having his shields taken down by another, forcing him back behind cover. "Alaia, any luck?" He asked.

"I think I've almost got it! Just keep them off of me for a few more seconds!"

Shau ejected a clip from her pistol before exposing herself to unload another wave of shots. ", if you're going to do anything, you'd better do it quick. We can't keep this up forever."

"Okay, hang on...almost...got it! Cover me!" Mike nodded as he unloaded a clip into the group of mechs, suppressing them long enough to allow Alaia to step out, tap some commands into her omni-tool, and send a signal out into the hall, causing all the mechs to shake violently. "Look out! They're self-destructing!" They stayed behind cover as the mechs exploded one by one, sending shrapnel in all directions.

Once the explosions had ceased, Nepturus checked the hall and said, "Clear!" Breathing a sigh of relief, the group put their weapons away.

"Good job, Alaia." Mike said, raising his hand for a high five, which she accepted.

"Thanks." She said, as she took a moment to relax.

"Don't get too comfortable," Shau said, already preparing for the next round, "we're just a couple of halls away from the fallback spot. Let's keep moving."

"Good, I can't wait to show that puny little rich boy how much he screwed himself over." Tarok said, a short chuckle escaping his throat.

"Just remember," Shau warned, "he may be an asshole, but he's not stupid. He'll have something waiting for us in there, so be ready." With that, she signaled for them to follow her down the hall, stepping over the remains of the security mechs as they went.

Nepturus turned to Alaia, "If we run into any more of them, maybe you should keep the program pattern you just used on a hotkey."

"It's not that simple. These mechs work off of an adaptive anti-hack protocol."

"Like the geth?"

"Not nearly as sophisticated, but similar. Try and hack one and the others auto-correct. Luckily the mechs do it much more slowly than geth do, so it's a lot easier to break past their defenses."

Shau, rolling her eyes, said, "And I thought the engineers I had to work with in the Alliance were nerds."

Mike leaned to Alaia and Nepturus and whispered, "I think you made her brain hurt with that...do it again."

They both chuckled as they made their way to the last hallway, the door leading to Chamberlain's fallback point at the end. Shau raised an eyebrow, confused. "Something's not right here."

"How so?" Tarok asked.

"I know those mechs the girl fried back there weren't all he had access to, so where are the rest of them?"

"Maybe he's got them inside the room?" Nepturus asked.

"It doesn't matter. Whether they're in there or out here, they won't be able to keep him from me." Tarok proceeded to the door, the others following close behind. As he got closer, Tarok increased his pace, gradually getting up to charging speed as he let out a thundering roar, smashing into the door and tearing it out of the wall as the others struggled to keep up, taking their guns out in preparation for a fight. However, they were all equally surprised to find the room littered with mech parts, but with no Chamberlain. "Show yourself, coward! You can't hide behind your cronnies anymore!"

Tarok's voice echoed throughout the room, which was slightly smaller than the grand ballroom, but contained a vast array of ancient weapons ranging from swords to muskets to cannons, as well as a few suits of medieval armor. "Kind of weird to see all this stuff surrounded by mech parts." Mike observed.

"Why did he tear apart all his mechs? He must be really far gone." Alaia thought out loud, noting how there seemed to be different parts missing from the different types of mechs.

Shau shook her head, checking all of her corners. "I don't like this. Keep your guard up."

As they surveyed the room, Tarok said, "What's the matter, human? Your quad fall off since we broke your toys?" Nepturus then noticed a strange indentation in the wall next to a suit of armor. Tarok continued his tirade. "Nobody plays me and lives, as you're about to find out!" As Nepturus inspected the crack, he discovered that it seemed to travel from the bottom to the top of the wall, creating a large square section within the wall. Just as he was about to say something, an orange glow emanated from the crack, along with loud mechanical noises. Nepturus' eyes widened as the wall was demolished from the other side violently, sending him crashing into Mike and onto the floor. The others snapped their attention to the disturbance, training their guns at the dust cloud in front of the wall. Tarok sent a shotgun blast into the cloud, only for the sounds of bullets bouncing off of a kinetic barrier to tell him how futile that was. Then, out from the dust cloud came a towering behemoth of a mech, almost twelve feet tall with a chaingun on one arm and a missile launcher on the other.

From within the cockpit of the juggernaut came a familiar voice. "What was that you were saying about breaking all of my 'toys'?"

Shaking his head in dizzyness, Mike looked up at the mech and said, "Oh crap."

"This fine piece of machinery was still being constructed by the museum's security detail before this whole mess started, so all it took to get it operational was some spare mech parts. Hm, I wonder: which one of you should I kill first? Captain Shau for betraying me, the krogan for insulting me, or perhaps Mr. Reynolds for being late to my party."

Mike shook of the sarcastic threat as he made sure Nepturus was alright and quickly shoved him to get him running. "Cover! Now!"

As they all ran for cover, Chamberlain began peppering the room with chaingun fire, the bullets tearing apart several pieces of armor throughout the room as he attempted to kill anything in front of him. Mike and Nepturus took cover behind a large trebuchet display case while Alaia, Shau and Tarok jumped behind a display case for a royal chariot. Seeing that his bullets were having no effect, Chamberlain ceased fire with the chaingun and engaged his missile launcher, taking aim at the chariot. "Let's see if that chariot's rated for high explosives!"

"Aw hell! MOVE!" Shau yelled as the three jumped from their position and ran for more cover as Chamberlain's missile impacted on the chariot, decimating it and sending wooden shards flying in all directions. They managed to get behind another display before Chamberlain began firing on them again, whittling away at the case's kinetic barrier.

Mike saw this and turned to Nepturus, "We need to give them some cover."

"Right behind you. Let's do it."

Mike nodded as they left their cover and ran across the room, sending volleys of shots at the mech's cockpit, catching Chamberlain's attention. "Well now, we are desperate, aren't we?" He then turned his attention to Mike and Nepturus, who just barely had enough time to get behind some debris from the destroyed wall. Tarok and the others took the opportunity to fire on Chamberlain, again drawing his attention.

"His shields can't hold forever," Shau said, "keep whittling him down!"

The mech opened fire on them, its chain gun severely damaging the case they were using for cover and very nearly hitting Tarok. "Easier said than done!" He said, ducking down from the incoming fire. He then whispered to Alaia, "Girlie, if you can hack that thing, now's the time."

"Okay, keep him off of me."

Nodding his head, Tarok turned to Shau. "The girl's gonna try and hack it, we have to distract him. When I count three, we'll jump out and head for that cover over there."

"You can't be seri-"

"Don't argue with me! Just do it!"

Realizing now wasn't the time for debate, Shau reluctantly followed his orders prepared to bolt for the other side of the room.

"Ready, girlie?" Tarok asked.

Alaia typed furiously on her omni-tool before saying, "Good to go, get him off of me. Be careful."

"Right. 1...2...3!" With that, Tarok and Shau bolted from behind the case and headed for a series of display cases for cover, Chamberlain preparing to fire on them before Mike and Nepturus distracted him.

"How's a man supposed to work with all of these distractions?" Chamberlain took aim with his missile arm and fired on Mike and Nepturus' position, forcing them to duck down as the missile exploded just a few feet from them.

A bit of debris from the explosion hit Mike in the head, scratching the side of it. "You alright?" Nepturus asked, noticing the cut.

"I'm good, but we need a new plan." Mike hoped that the comm channel they'd set up still worked as he opened his omni-tool. "Tarok, you hear me?"

From the other side of the room, Tarok answered, "What is it, Reynolds? We're taking fire!"

"We need a better plan, his shields are regenerating too fast to just wear him down."

"The girl's working on hacking that thing," Shau answered, "we need to keep it off of her."

"Alright, we'll divide his attention long enough for Alaia to work. Call out when you're reloading." Mike got his assault rifle ready as he and Nepturus began firing on Chamberlain, catching his attention just long enough for Tarok and Shau to move to a more secure position. Just as Mike and Nepturus were about to exhaust their clips, Mike called out, "Reloading!", before they both ducked down to change out their clips, signaling Tarok and Shau to begin their diversion.

Just then, Chamberlain began to notice the pattern. "Ah, the old 'divide and conquer' routine. Very clever...too bad that doesn't really work when the roof's collapsing on you!" Chamberlain fired a missile at the ceiling above Tarok and Shau, sending chunks of stone crashing down on top of them.

"Dammit, move!" Shau pushed Tarok out of the way as a large piece of debris landed on her legs, pinning her to the ground.

"Crap, Shau's down!" Nepturus yelled. "Tarok, get her out of there; we'll cover you!" Mike and Nepturus jumped over the wall of debris and began peppering Chamberlain with bullets as Tarok lifted the large chunk of stone off of Shau.

"You alright?" He asked.

"Nng...I think my leg's broken, but otherwise I'm fine." She said, wincing as she felt the crack in her femur shift slightly as she tried to lift her leg.

"Alright, hang on." Tarok then grabbed her by the arm and flung it over his shoulder before carrying her to the other side of the room as Mike and Nepturus kept Chamberlain busy. "Somehow, I had the feeling I'd end up carrying you somewhere."

"Shut up, Reptile."

Meanwhile, Mike and Nepturus were taking fire from Chamberlain's chaingun, taking turns firing while the other reloaded. "Are they clear?" Mike asked.

Nepturus quickly peeked around their cover and saw Tarok put Shau behind a large display case. "They're good."

Mike was about to say something when he noticed a shadow looming above them. Looking up, he saw that Chamberlain had decided to test the suit's melee capabilities. "I wonder what a turian would look like as a stain on the floor...let's find out!"

"Move move move!" Nepturus shouted as they both dove out from behind their cover as the mech's arm slammed into the ground they once occupied, imbedding itself in the ground.

"Gah! Stupid piece of junk! Work!" Chamberlain yelled in frustration as he tried in vain to force the mech's arm out of the ground.

Mike took the opportunity to check on Alaia over the comm channel, "Alaia, please tell me you have something."

"I'm working on it, but I'm having a hard time maintaining a connection. He must have at least three dozen firewalls set up in that thing."

"Anything we can do to help?" Nepturus asked before noticing Chamberlain try and aim his missile launcher at them. "Crap, look out!" Mike followed Nepturus' lead as he jumped over a display case just before a missile buzzed past their heads, damaging a wall a few feet away.

"Are you guys alright?" Alaia called out over the comm, trying not to attract Chamberlain's attention.

"We're fine, just focus on hacking the mech." Mike reassured her, wiping a line of blood from the cut on his head.

"I'm working as fast as I can, but it looks like the most I'll be able to do is take out one of his weapon systems. Which one should I focus on?"

Mike quickly looked up at the large hole in the wall made from the missile they just had launched at them. "Missile launcher. Definitely missile launcher."

Chamberlain finally managed to wrench the mech's arm free from the floor. "I'm getting tired of this altercation. I have a business deal to complete in a half hour, so I'm afraid I'll have to put our little play date to rest." He again prepared another missile for firing, aiming it straight at Tarok and Shau, who were slightly exposed after the last missile exploded. "I thank you for your services, krogan, but I'm afraid this will be one contract you won't be fulfilling."

Just as Chamberlain locked on to Tarok, Alaia called out, "Got it!", which got Chamberlain's attention a mere second before his mech's missile launcher shorted out, which cause the missile already loaded into the chamber to explode from the shock, blowing the mech's missile arm off and sending him stumbling into a nearby wall. "Woohoo! Eat that, asshole!"

"Alaia, you are awesome!" Mike called out in excitement, Nepturus letting a loud 'Whoop' in agreement. However, just as they thought they'd won, the mech stirred from it's position, crumbling the wall it was embedded in as the sound of Chamberlain's labored breathing was broadcast throughout the room.

"You...little...BITCH!" Chamberlain screamed as he sprayed a flurry of chaingun rounds at Alaia's position, forcing her to duck down behind cover as the bullets penetrated the display case, sending shrapnel in all directions.

"Get him off of her!" Tarok called out, sending a shotgun blast at the damaged mech, making contact with the metal and causing Chamberlain to stumble.

"Why won't you people just die?" He then focused his fire on Tarok, who was forced to shift to the right slightly as some rounds impacted his shields.

Concerned, Mike opened the comm channel to Alaia. "Alaia, are you alright? Talk to me!"

After a moment of silence, Alaia answered, "I'm okay. I'm covered in dust and metal splinters, but I'm fine."

"Alright, stay where you are for now."

"That blast contacted the mech itself! Its shields must have been damaged in the blast!" Nepturus observed, trying to take some of the heat off of Tarok.

"Yeah, now we just need to finish him off. Any ideas?" Mike asked, joining Nepturus in covering Tarok.

"We'll need some heavy ordinance to get past all of that armor. The problem is that we don't have any."

Mike was about to agree with him until he caught a glimpse of something in the room. "Oh yes we do."

"What are you-" Nepturus almost asked before he saw what Mike was talking about. "You can't be serious."

"Will it do the trick?"

"Well...it's possible, but we'd have to get around Chamberlain to get to it."

"Right." Mike opened the comm channel. "Tarok, we think we've got a plan to take him out, but we need a distraction."

"You don't need to tell me twice." Tarok jumped up from cover and sent an overcharged shotgun blast straight into the mech's cockpit, causing it to fall over on its back as Chamberlain screamed in rage.

"Now's our chance, go!" Mike said to Nepturus before shuffled from cover to cover, moving past Tarok and Shau as they made their way to their target.

As Tarok took pleasure in annoying Chamberlain as he attempted to get up, he heard a pistol go off next to him, turning to see Shau leaning on her good leg to assist him. Instead of telling her to stay down, Tarok chuckled, "Heh, you don't let someone kick the fight out of you, human. I'll give you that."

"I'll be the one doing the kicking after we tear that asshole out of that piece of tin."

"Reynolds and the turian said they had a plan."

"You think it'll work?"

Tarok thought for a second before answering. "They may be idiots, but they've got it where it counts. Right now, I just want to piss Chamberlain off." A smirk formed on his face as he once again sent another shotgun blast at Chamberlain, knocking him over again.

"RAAAAAAH!" Chamberlain screamed in blind rage as he fired his chaingun at Tarok and Shau's position, forcing them behind cover as he finally managed to get on his feet. Keeping his fire focused on them, he moved closer to Alaia's position, which she didn't have time to react to before he slammed the mech's foot into the display case, sending her on to the floor as several suits of armor collapsed on top of her, pinning her to the ground. Chamberlain approached Alaia as she desperately attempted to move the heavy metal suits to no avail. "Little girls should know better than to annoy grown ups. It looks like I'll have to teach you a very slow...very painful lesson."

Tarok looked out of cover and upon seeing Chamberlain lift his foot over Alaia, a feeling of pure fury washed over him. Without thinking, he let out an ear shattering battle cry as he leaped out of cover and charged at the mech, crashing into it with enough force to send him staggering back. He then leaped onto the cockpit of the mech and began pounding on it with his fists, visibly cracking the canopy before Chamberlain managed to smack him off with the mech's remaining arm. Tarok slid across the floor and slammed into a nearby wall, winding him as Chamberlain stormed over to him, pinning him to the wall with his foot and shoving the chaingun into his face. "I'm going to enjoy splattering your weak, barbarian brains all over this room. Goodbye, has-been."

"Hey, Chamberlain!" The voice caused Chamberlain to snap his focus to the right, where he saw Mike and Nepturus standing next to a very large antique cannon with what looked like a bit of gunpowder in the fuse hole. Before Chamberlain could react, Nepturus lowered a hot thermal clip he was holding in a rag to the fuse, setting it off instantly with a loud explosion and sending the large cannonball into the mech's cockpit, knocking it and Chamberlain back several meters and into a wall, which crumbled around him and exposed the room to the outside.

As the dust settled, Mike and Nepturus kept their guns trained on the mech, unsure if what they'd done had finished the job. When they could see the mech and saw that it was motionless, they each breathed in a collective sigh of relief. Nepturus broke the ensuing silence by letting out a nervous chuckle and saying, "I can't believe that actually worked."

"Same here...whew." Mike added, remember that Tarok was still laying against the wall. "I'll check on Tarok, you help Alaia out." Nepturus nodded as he went to help Alaia. Mike went up to Tarok, who was rubbing his head and groaning. "You alright, Big Guy?"

Tarok looked up at Mike with one eye closed. "I feel like crap, but I'll live." Mike offered his hand to Tarok, who grabbed it and allowed Mike to help him up.

"That was pretty ballsy of you, charging at him like that."

"You idiots were taking too long, I was just trying to speed things up."

Mike smiled knowingly. "Whatever you say, Tarok. Good work."

After a brief silence, Tarok responded, "Eh, you didn't do so bad yourself, Reynolds."

"Alright, I'm gonna go check on Shau's leg, see if you can help Nep get Alaia out from under that junk." Mike then went over to Shau as Tarok walked over to where Alaia was pinned, shaking his headache away as he did.

"You alright, girlie?" He asked as he helped Nepturus lift the several large pieces of armor off of Alaia.

"Ugh, I've been better, but at least nothing's broken. Thanks guys." Alaia brushed herself off as she spoke, checking for suit ruptures at the same time on instinct.

"I'm gonna help Mike with Shau. You sure you're alright?" Nepturus asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." As Nepturus walked away, Alaia turned to Tarok. "Thanks for that, by the way."

"For what?"

"Oh come on, you charged that thing even though you knew he'd probably cream you. You saved my life."

Breaking eye contact, Tarok said, "It was nothing."

"Yes, it was. Thank you."

Looking back at her, Tarok could tell she had that innocent smile on her face again. _Oh no, not that look again. _"Well...I just would have hated to see you get hurt, girlie. You're pretty much the only person here I can tolerate."

Putting on a knowing smile, Alaia said, "Okay...if you say so. C'mon, let's go check on your girlfriend."

"G-Girlfriend? Quarian..." Before Tarok could rebuke her comment, Alaia had started back to Mike and Nepturus, leaving Tarok to mutter in frustration.

Alaia came up to Shau, who was being examined by Nepturus. "How's she doing?"

"I'll be fine, kid. I've been hurt worse than this, trust me." Shau responded, putting on a cocky smirk.

"Still, it's lucky I found this medi-gel in the storage room we raided." Nepturus added. "At least it won't get infected now."

"Will she be able to walk?" Mike asked.

"If I can put together a powered leg brace to keep her from putting weight on it, sure."

"Never thought I'd be putting my health in the hands of a turian...no offense."

"None taken...I think."

Just then, they heard a stir coming from the mech. They instantly reached for their guns as the spun around, only to see the mech attempt to raise its arm and fail, nearly causing it to fall from the ledge where the wall used to be. Finally, the canopy around the cockpit hissed open, revealing a battered and beaten Chamberlain, his face covered in blood. They slowly approached him, unsure if it was a bluff. Coughing loudly, Chamberlain began to speak. "*Cough* Ugggh...you insects are dead...I have friends in high places...there isn't a black hole in this galaxy where they won't find you...*cough*"

"I think we'll manage, asshole." Mike said, training his rifle straight at Chamberlain's head.

"Heheh, you...you look just like him...your father."

"Leave my dad out of this!" Mike shouted surprisingly loudly.

"Ooooh, I forgot...daddy issues...*cough*." Chamberlain's smirk grew wider.

"Why did you make a deal with the Reapers?" Alaia asked, changing the subject.

"Screw you, bucket head...I've got nothing to GAK!" Chamberlain was interrupted by Tarok hand going around his throat.

"She asked you a question, varren bait!" Tarok growled, being sure to give an extra squeeze to prove his point.

After Tarok let go of his throat, Chamberlain coughed out, "I...got separated from my guards after we...*cough**cough*...escaped from the hotel...near Gunnersbury Park. One of the big ones...spoke to me...told me if I helped him collect all these parts...he'd give me a reprieve from what was to come..."

"A reprieve? From what?" Nepturus asked.

"How should I know? I didn't have the luxury of asking questions...*cough*...I had my back to the wall, so I made a deal...satisfied?"

"One more thing..." Mike said, seemingly calmed down. "Where's the transport you came here in?"

"Heh...sorry to disappoint you...I didn't trust any of these goons to stick...*cough*...around, so I told them I hid the transport somewhere for future use...if they knew the truth, they would have revolted."

"What truth? Where's the transport?"

Instead of answering, Chamberlain pressed a button on the inside of the mech, causing an explosion in the distance, a cloud of smoke visible from the other side of the palace. "Everywhere..."

Clenching his fists, Mike had had enough of Chamberlain. "Tarok, he's all yours."

Tarok smiled as he approached the crippled mech, popping his knuckles along the way before placing his foot on the mech to push it and Chamberlain to a three story fall.. "W-w-wait, wait, krogan! You like money? Huh? Lots of money? You're a mercenary, right? I'll make you a deal: you help me out of this mess and I will make you a very rich krogan. All you have to do is kill them and get me to the med bay on the lower floor so I can...*cough**cough*...patch myself up. C'mon...you don't owe them anything..."

Tarok took a quick glance back at the others, each of them giving him a trusting look, especially Alaia, who nodded her head slowly. He looked back to Chamberlain, who looked sure that Tarok would take the deal. Tarok smiled menacingly at him before saying, "Consider my contract fulfilled." With one might push, Tarok forced the mech over the edge, Chamberlain screaming as it flipped over just before it impacted on the concrete below face first, causing his screaming to stop.

The group looked over the edge with Tarok, where the mech now lay in a broken heap, a pool of red growing from beneath it, confirming Chamberlain's fate. "Bosh'tet." Alaia said, relieved that it was over.

"You took the words right out of my mouth...sort of." Mike added as they walked back to Shau, helping her onto her feet as they made their way down to the med bay Chamberlain mentioned to heal themselves as needed.

"So," Alaia started, "what do we do now? He destroyed the only transport off world."

"We'll figure something out, right now we need to focus on getting ourselves patched up." Nepturus answered.

"So, turian, how long is it gonna take you to build that powered leg brace?" Shau asked, not enjoying having someone help her to walk around.

"It shouldn't take me more than a few minutes once we get to the med bay, they should have the parts for one tucked away."

Mike then turned to Tarok, "Hey, Big Guy."

"Hm?"

"You made the right choice."

"Damn right...still, I may shoot you guys anyway. Need to keep my aim sharp."

"Nyuk nyuk nyuk." Mike laughed sarcastically as the group started downstairs, ready to focus on getting off Earth alive.

**END ACT I**


	22. Intermission: The Q&A

Intermission 1 – The Q & A

Mike: Hey, people! I'm Mike Reynolds from the Mass Effect fan novel "Survivors".

Nepturus: And I'm Nepturus Vitan.

Alaia: And I'm Alaia'Koran nar Ictomy.

Tarok: I still think this is pointless.

Mike: ...and, of course, we have Tarok, or as we like to call him, Mr. Sunshine.

Tarok. Hmph.

Mike: Now, I'm sure you're wondering: Why are they breaking the fourth wall? Where's the real story? Well, our writer is working on it right now, but he wanted to give you guys a chance to learn a little bit more about us from a behind-the-scenes standpoint.

Nepturus: So, he decided to hold a question and answer segment here on the story, just to give the people who read the story a chance to ask us some questions about ourselves or our lives in general. You can even ask our writer a few questions if you want.

Alaia: If you have a question, just leave it in a review for this chapter and we'll answer it on the next chapter.

Tarok: Or you could not so we can get on with the story.

Mike: Tarok...

Tarok: Nobody who reads this story wants to ask us questions. They want us blowing stuff up and killing things.

Nepturus: We'll get back to that, but we just want to give the fans a chance to become a part of the story.

Tarok: More like our lazy ass writer just wants to stall for time so he can sit around and do nothing all day...as usual.

Alaia: Ugh, anyway, if you have any questions, just remember to leave them in a review before our deadline of July 12, 2012. After that, we won't accept any more questions.

Mike: Right, oh, and be sure to tell Tarok just how much you love him and how cute you think he is. He loves that stuff.

Tarok: I'm gonna kill you one of these days...slowly.

Nepturus: Until the next chapter, we want to thank you all for your support so far and tell you to look forward to the next act of "Survivors" very soon. See you then!

Mike: Cya!

Alaia: Bye!

Tarok: …

Alaia: Ahem!

Tarok: Ugh, fine...goodbye, pyjaks.

Mike: Close enough.


	23. Intermission: Fan Questions Answered

Intermission – Your Questions Answered

Mike: Hey people, Mike Reynolds here along with my good friends Alaia, Nepturus, and Tarok.

Nepturus: Hello.

Alaia: Hey!

Tarok: Humans.

Mike: Well, we asked you guys for questions, and you delivered, we got some pretty good questions out of you guys and we intend to answer all of them.

Tarok: Some of us against our will.

Nepturus: Tarok, stop whining and just humor the people.

Alaia: Besides, it's not like you have anything better to do.

Tarok: Fine...but if I get one question about 'relationships' or 'feelings' I'm out of here.

Mike: Good enough for me. So, let's get started. First question please, Author.

From: Phygmalion -

_Aw, Tarok, you're so cute! ;)_

Mike: Pfft...

Tarok: Grrrrrrr...

_Just kidding - point that shotgun somewhere else._

Tarok: Who said anything about a shotgun...gutting you would have been sufficient.

_Anyway, I do have a question - two, in fact._

Tarok: Ugh.

_Number one is: What are the odds of you getting off-planet and past the Sol relay without getting vaporized by a Reaper or an Occulus?_

Mike: Right now, we're just trying to figure out how to stay alive long enough to get off Earth, so we can't really say one or the other.

Nepturus: We're trying to stay positive though, so we're going to say "good enough".

Alaia: Yeah...by the way, what's an Occulus?

Mike: I don't know. He didn't say.

Nepturus: Must be something we haven't seen yet.

Tarok: Thanks for the spoilers, human.

Mike: Let's just get on to the next question.

_Number two is: Assuming that you are unable to get off-planet by yourselves, are your parents/love interests who are at the blockade going to get themselves killed trying to rescue you, or do they have a snowball's chance in you-know-where of succeeding?_

Alaia: Well, we obviously hope they don't die trying to get to us, but like we said we really don't know right now.

Nepturus: Yeah, we really can't say much about events that will take place later on in the story, so right now we can only say keep on reading.

_Anyway, love the story. And Tarok - nice job fulfilling your contract last chapter._

Tarok: Hah, didn't even get paid for it in the end.

_Alaia - it was pretty smooth how you hacked the missile systems on the mech._

Alaia: Aw, thanks. I don't like to brag, but it wasn't even that much of a challenge.

_Mike - good job coordinating the attack._

Tarok: If you can call it coordinated.

Mike: Laugh it up, Big Guy.

_Nepturus - keep channeling your inner Garrus, and you'll do just fine. Just... try to avoid taking any missiles to the face._

Nepturus: Thanks, but I think you mean if Garrus keeps channeling his inner Nepturus that he'll do just fine. I taught that guy everything he knows.

Alaia: Seriously?

Nepturus: Hell yeah, who do you think taught him how to calibrate so well?

Mike: Heh, well that was a good first few questions, this one sounds like it's for the writer.

From: Juggalo Prince -

_What motivated you to write this story? I'm always curious as to why people write these stories. Great story, btw, always reading every chapter._

**I'll take this one, then.**

Tarok: Peh, of course he has to write his dialogue in bold.

**I'm sorry, what was that? I was too busy rewriting you to be a varren.**

Tarok: Grrr...nothing.

**That's what I thought. Anyway, to answer Juggalo Prince's question, I was inspired to write this story by several things. The first being a game I had played called Left 4 Dead 2, which involves four strangers forced to work together to survive a zombie outbreak. I was fascinated by the concept of complete strangers coming together to get through a disastrous situation. The next thing was, of course, playing Mass Effect, which I love for its fantastic character development and storytelling. However, it didn't really come to me to put all of these different elements together until I saw the first trailer for Mass Effect 3, which showcased London in the middle of a battle between the Alliance and the Reapers, which looked similar to a setting from a Left 4 Dead game. From there, all it took was a bit of imagination and some thinking and voila, I decided to write Survivors. I hope that answers your question, Juggalo Prince.**

Tarok: I do too, that was the most long winded explanation I've ever had to sit through.

**...Tarok, I was just thinking of changing your wardrobe a bit. How does a pink too-too and ballet shoes sound to you? **

Tarok: ...you wouldn't dare.

**Try me.**

Tarok: Ugggggh...next question.

**Good boy.**

Nepturus: Heheheheh.

Tarok: Keep laughing, turian. I'll show you what your insides look like.

From: noyzee

_First off... I am loving this story. I check to see if there is an update before bed every night._ _It's my bedtime story._

**Well, thank you very much. It's humbling to know some people love my story that much.**

Tarok: Kiss ass.

Mike: Tarok, don't push him.

Nepturus: Besides, you're just making this take longer than it should.

_Anyway, I wanted to ask you, if it was just luck you picked London and then the Game actually focused around London, or did you somehow plan that? _

**It was pretty much just a coincidence. I had no idea that London would be focused upon in the actual game, so I was decently surprised when it turned out that way.**

Tarok: Besides, he never plans anything.

**I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that.**

Tarok: What? It's true.

_And last question, do you ever plan on meeting Shepard along the way? Thanks for this awesome story! _

**Well, I can't divulge any details about later parts of the story at this time-**

Tarok: Especially since he doesn't have a clue what's going to happen next.

**ANYWAY, but what I can tell you is that since Shepard is an essential piece to the conflict with the Reapers, he/she will not be ignored in this story. **

Mike: Alright, good stuff. Next question, please.

From: The Christian Jedi -

_Before I ask my questions to your characters, dragondrewverison 2 I just want you to know that showdown in the last chapter was EPIC!_

Mike: It ought to be for what we had to go through to take Chamberlain down.

Nepturus: Yeah, especially figuring out how to work that cannon.

Alaia: And trying to hack a weapon system while being shot at.

Tarok: Yeah? Well, I got myself thrown into a wall at FTL speeds, you don't see me whining about it.

_Okay now for my questions; _

_ 1. Tarok, have you ever crossed paths or butted heads with Urdnot Wrex in your travels as a merc? (You both seem to have taken the same class of awesomeness and humor. Oh by the way you're a great Krogan hahaha.) _

Tarok: No, I've heard of him, though. Back on Tuchanka he was considered a legend among his clan, but I'll believe the stories I've heard of him when I see him.

_2. Nepturus did you have a favorite spot in London to hang out with Sam when you were not at work before the Reaper Invasion?_

Nepturus: Actually, yeah. Sometimes when we clocked out for the day we'd go to this nice cafe down on Stamford Street. It was one of the only restaurants in town that had decent dextro food. Other than that, we'd sometimes go see a vid together.

Alaia: Ah, young love.

Nepturus: Alaia!

Tarok: HA! I think you hit a nerve, girlie.

Mike: Calm down, Nep, she's only teasing.

_3. Alaia, do you have a boyfriend or just a crush on someone back in the fleet?_

Alaia: ...Well, uh...maybe.

Nepturus: Ah, young love.

Alaia: Shut up, bosh'tet!

Mike: Alright alright, calm down you two. Just let Alaia answer her question, Nep.

Alaia: Thank you. Anyway, I did have a crush on this guy when I was ten, though I can't remember his name. I've never had a boyfriend, mostly because I just haven't been interested in a relationship.

Mike: Good, now his last question looks like it's for me.

_4. Mike, considering that you're a fan of Indiana Jones are you scared of or just plain hate certain animals or creatures like Dr. Jones?_

Mike: Not really, I like animals...except Thresher Maws, but that's just rational. Also, I've never actually seen a real snake, so I don't understand what Jones finds so creepy about them.

_That's all my questions for now, and one more thing dragondrewversion2, may the force continue to be with you. _

Tarok: What the hell is that supposed to mean?

Nepturus: I think it's some kind of reference to an old Earth vid.

Mike: Yeah, Star Wars.

Alaia: Oh, I love those vids!

Tarok: Why am I not surprised?

Mike: Here comes the next questions.

From: FenixV

_Tarok, why are you such a weakling? I could beat you with one finger. Come at me, bro!_

Tarok:...BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Nepturus: I think he's lost it.

Tarok: HA! That's the hardest I've laughed in a long time. Okay, human, I'll humor you. You send me a time and place and I will personally show you just how bad a decision you just made. I'll even let you have the first shot, then once I've laughed that off, I'll take that one finger you were talking about and stab you through the eye with it before skinning you alive and turning your pelt into a toilet bowl liner. Then for the bones I'll-

Mike: We get the picture, Tarok! And besides, I'm pretty sure he was just kidding.

Tarok: Pah, knew it. All talk, no quad to back it up.

Mike: Okay, this next one's for me, so at least we won't have another misunderstanding here.

_Mike, when will you date that asari chick? Man up!_

Mike: ...That little piece of-

Alaia: Mike! Remember, he's just joking.

Mike: But he-

Nepturus: Let it go, Mike.

Mike: But-

Tarok: They're right, Reynolds. We shouldn't take what he's saying seriously. He is, after all, just kidding, right?...

Mike: Whatever, let's just move on to somebody else...stupid asshole.

Alaia: Hang on, he's got another one for you.

Mike: What's he asking this time? If I'm a virgin or something stupid like that?

Nepturus: ...Are you?

Mike: NO! Just ask the stupid question already.

_On a more serious note, which Indiana Jones film is your favorite?_

Mike: Oh...well, I'd say it's a pretty close tie between Raiders of the Lost Ark and Last Crusade, can't really decide between the two.

Alaia: Same for me too. Now he's got a question for me.

Nepturus: If it's another idiot question, you can just ignore it.

_Alaia, how well do you know Tali'Zorah?_

Alaia: Huh, that's not a bad question at all.

Mike: Lucky.

Alaia: Well, I don't know her personally, but I have definitely heard of her, especially since she helped save the galaxy from Saren a few years back. I'd like to meet her one of these days.

Nepturus: Alright, and it looks like he has a couple for me.

_Nepturus, what was it like training in the turian army?_

Nepturus: Not that different from Alliance training, really. We just start our training from a younger age; around fifteen to be exact. The only real difference I know from hearing Alliance soldiers describe their training is that we encourage our soldiers to work out their frustrations with each other through sparring matches, where as the Alliance prefers those kinds of hostilities to be talked out.

Tarok: Answer me this: Do turians have their sticks shoved up their asses before or after basic training?

Nepturus: ...funny.

Mike: Pfft...it actually was kind of funny.

Nepturus: Not helping.

Alaia: Alright guys, chill. We've got one last batch of questions by the looks of it.

Mike: Alright, let's do it.

From: Emile-A239

_Couple of questions for you..._

_1. Are we gonna see Anderson or Coats at many point? _

**I've got this one.**

Tarok: Considering it's something that hasn't happened to us yet, by all means, your obvi-HMPHGMHSOHGMPH!

**I'll take off the muzzle once I'm done.**

Tarok: Grrrrrmph!

Mike: We warned you.

**Anyway, I don't wish to spoil anything for you guys by revealing future plot details, but what I can say is that unless I say something definitely will not happen, don't count it out as a ****possibility. Right, Tarok?**

Tarok: Mph.

**Oh yeah, hang on.**

Tarok: Gah...If I ever get my hands on you I'll...I'll...GRAAH!

Nepturus: Moving on.

_2. Is the goal here to survive till shep arrives? Or to gtfo earth?_

Mike: Well, we obviously aren't going to sit around and wait for a rescue that may or may not come, so for right now our plan is to survive and look for our own way off Earth...I think.

Alaia: You think?

Mike: Well, we just now got done with Chamberlain, so I don't think we've had time to discuss it.

Nepturus: Exactly, we'll deal with that later.

Tarok: Then we'll come up with a plan for dealing with our annoying pyjak dung eating author of ours.

**Love you too, buddy.**

Tarok: Grrrrrrr!

_3.(more of a suggestion) Why not get as much food and ammo as you can carry, take mercs that are least likely to kill you, and head back down into subway barricade entrances, eat supplies then dead mercs ( how they die is up to you) and make supply runs after that runs out?_

Mike: The thing is, we already had the pleasure of experiencing the old subway tunnels, so we've pretty much agreed that they're not safe at all.

Nepturus: Yeah, and...wait, is he saying we should eat the dead mercs?

Mike: Huh?

Nepturus: Right there, "eat supplies then dead mercs."

Mike: ...Uhhh, I hope not.

Alaia: That's just gross.

Tarok: Yeah, humans are too sweet and boney for my taste, anyway.

Mike: …

Nepturus: …

Alaia: …

Tarok: Before you idiots freak out, I'm kidding.

Mike: Ugh, anyway, I think he may just not have typed that sentence the way he wanted it to come out.

Alaia: But if that is what he meant, then that is just sick.

Nepturus: Very.

Mike: Well, we finished off all of the questions.

Tarok: Finally.

Nepturus: We hope you guys enjoyed it, so stay tuned for the next act of Survivors coming soon.

Alaia: See you guys then!

Mike: See ya!

Nepturus: Bye!

Tarok: Humans.

**Peace.**


	24. Chapter 18: An Illusive Man

Chapter 18: An Illusive Man

Atlec-5

Ripley's Hope General Hospital

8:15 AM Galactic Standard Time

"KILL ME! JUST KILL ME!" The patient screamed at the top of his lungs while multiple nurses struggled to keep him from convulsing. While they wrestled with him, Julia Reynolds measured a dosage of hydrosome to force his nervous system to calm itself.

"Keep him steady, just like the last ones!" She shouted over the man's screams of pain.

"KILL ME ALREADY! PLEASE!"

"Just hang on for a few more seconds! I promise the pain will stop!" Having filled the syringe, she approached the patients bed. "Hold his arm as steady as you can! We can't afford to cut him!"

The nurses pressed down their weight as much as they dared without hurting the patient as his muscles fought against them. Julia aimed the syringe where she knew the artery to be, though her fatigue made her vision blur for a mere second as she tried to bring it to his skin. Shaking her head quickly, she focused just long enough to find the spot she needed to inject and stick the needle in. After she pushed the plunger on the syringe down, she stepped back and took notice as the man's violent thrashing and screaming began to calm, his eyes beginning to close as his body entered a deep relaxation.

Sighing with relief, Julia looked to one of the nurses and said, "Okay, keep Mr. Farrows under observation for the next few hours, if he starts to twitch, give him a five CC injection of hydrosome and contact me immediately."

"Yes, ma'am." He answered, checking the man's vitals on his omni-tool. Satisfied that he understood his instructions, Julia left the room, rubbing the bridge of her nose as she did. She checked the datapad under her arm and checked off Mr. Farrows' name from a long list of which she was only half-way through. She took a moment to lean against a wall and collect her thoughts, trying once again to put her worries aside long enough to check on all of her patients.

_Get a grip, Julia. _She thought to herself. _You need to concentrate on your job. Just keep it together for another hour._ Just as she'd started to calm herself, her omni-tool flashed to life, startling her. Growling out of frustration, she opened up the message her omni-tool had marked as urgent.

_Priority Call from: _Cpt. William Welch, Alliance Navy

Though at first she didn't recognize the name, something in the back of her mind made her think she had actually heard it somewhere before. Hesitantly, she answered the call. "Hello?"

_"Is this Dr. Julia Reynolds?" _The voice on the other end asked, his voice somewhat gruff.

"Yes it is."

_"You may not know who I am, but my name is William Welch of the Alliance Navy."_

"I had the strange feeling I'd heard your name somewhere when it came up on the Caller ID."

_"I'd be amazed if you had. You see, I was a friend of your husband's, back when he was in the Alliance."_

Thinking for a moment, a realization came to Julia. "Wait...you're Bill?"

_"So he did tell you about me?" _Welch sounded genuinely surprised.

"He mentioned you a couple of times, yes. Though I'm sorry to say he didn't talk about you in the highest regard."

_"Now that doesn't surprise me."_

"If you called to try and get into contact with him..."

_"I know he passed away. I'm sorry, he was a good man."_

"Yes, he was. However, I get the feeling you didn't call me just to get acquainted."

_"You're right. I called you because I have information about your son, Mike."_

Julia's heart stopped for a second, dreading the news that might come. "Oh God...is he..."

_"We're not sure at this point, but we've gotten a report from a survivor of the initial attack that Mike was seen alive with some other survivors. They helped get a group of civilians to an off world transport."_

"How long ago was this?"

_"About an hour or two after the invasion. From what the survivor told us, he and the others he was with seemed to be holding their own. Unfortunately, the transport ran out of room, so they had to stay behind."_

On the verge of tears, Julia put her hand to her mouth to try and prevent the Captain from hearing her choke up. "Thank...thank you for telling me."

_"I know it's not exactly what you wanted to hear, but I thought that the knowledge that he was seen alive would at least help."_

"It does...a little. If you hear anything else, tell me as soon as you can, okay?"

_"Of course, Doctor."_

"Again, thank you so much. I...I have to get back to my patients."

_"I understand. Here, I'm sending you my ship's comm frequency. If you need anything, let me know."_

"Thank you, Captain."

_"Any time." _With that, Welch left the call. Julia turned off her omni-tool and pressed her back against the wall as she felt tears begin to roll down her cheeks once again. A small sob escaped her lips as she gripped her datapad tightly, trying to regain control of herself.

"Please be okay...please let him be okay..." Quickly drying her tears with her sleeve, she hurried down the hall to her next patient while regaining her composure.

SSV Patillo

Shanxi-Theta Relay

8:20 AM Galactic Standard Time

Having ended his call to Mike's mother, Captain Welch breathed a deep sigh as he turned exit his quarters. Just then, the sound of Comm Officer Jacobs came over the room's speakers. _"Captain Welch, sir."_

"Go ahead, Jacobs."

_"You've got another call coming through."_

"Who is it?"

_"I'm not sure, sir. It came in through an old Alliance channel, but I can't decipher its source."_

"Hm, alright, send it through."

_"Right away, sir."_

A few seconds after Jacobs acknowledged his order, an image appeared on the comm station in the Captain's room of a man in an expensive suit. The mysterious man appeared to be an older individual with graying hair, a cigarette in his right hand and a pair of strange, glowing blue eyes. _"Bill,"_ he said, his voice almost deceptively eloquent, _"it's been a long time."_

Confused by the man's familiar greeting, Welch responded, "I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage."

_"Not as much of one as you think." _The man brought his cigarette to his mouth, taking a quick puff between sentences, _"Surely I haven't changed that much from our days on Shanxi, have I?"_

Though he at first didn't understand what the man was talking about, Welch studied his face for a few seconds, causing his eyes to widen in realization. "...Jack? Jack Harper?"

_"Good to see you again, old friend. How long has it been? Thirty years?"_

"I thought you were dead."

_"As does everyone else in the galaxy. It's a convenient condition to have in my current profession."_

"And exactly what profession is that?"

_"Come now, Bill. Don't try and play dumb with me. We both know you knew what I was the minute we started this call."_

"Unfortunately, yes. So, "Illusive Man", to what do I owe the honor of this call?" Welch's voice was laced with a hint of distrust.

_"I wish I could say that I called purely to catch up on old times, but business comes first. I'm aware that your vessel is among a group of three protecting the Shanxi-Theta relay."_

"Yes, what of it?"

_"Straight to the point, good. I've sent a team on a mission to Earth and the relay you're guarding is the only way through to Earth since the Reapers shut the rest down."_

"Let me guess: You want me to allow your people through the relay?"

_"Simply put, yes."_

"Well, if you remember me as much as you claim to, than you obviously know I'm going to refuse."

_"I knew you would...initially."_

"What do you mean "initially""?

_"...Look, Bill,...you were of immense help during the First Contact War. You saved my life once, so I intend to return the favor...if you so choose."_

"What are you getting at?"

_"I'll put it simply...I've ordered my people to get through the relay at any cost. If they don't meet any resistance, they'll pass through without causing any trouble...but if your people were to try and stop them, then there's nothing I can do."_

Hardly believing The Illusive Man's words, Welch shook his head, "What happened to you, Jack? Thirty years ago you spouted speeches about defending humanity and preserving our place in the galaxy...now you're nothing but a thug who kills anyone who gets in his way."

_"You talk as if I enjoy the prospect of your death or the deaths of any of your crew, neither of which I do. I'm giving you a chance to allow my people through because I'd rather avoid any bloodshed, but their mission is too important to risk interference."_

"What is it that your people plan to find on Earth that you're willing to openly attack Alliance ships for?"

_"Unfortunately, I have to maintain a level of secrecy in that regard. All you need to know is this: We're both fighting for the same cause. If this mission is successful, then we will be one step closer to a swift victory over the Reapers and humanity's ascension to the head of the galactic stage. While the Alliance stumbles over plans for superweapons and magic bullets, my research teams are close to not just destroying the Reapers...but putting them in our service."_

"You want to control them? After all the death and destruction they've put us through you want to risk even more lives by trying to control them?"

_"...I was hoping you wouldn't be as closed minded as the rest of the Alliance, but it appears I was wrong."_

"This conversation is over...Illusive Man."

Illusive Man brought his cigarette to his mouth again, his eyes narrowing at the mention of his name. _"...So be it. The offer still stands until my people get to the relay. If you don't move your people out of the way by then...then I am sorry, Captain."_ His message delivered, The Illusive Man's image fizzled out, leaving Captain Welch to contemplate this latest threat.

_"Captain? Captain, are you alright?" _Jacobs called over the intercom.

"I'm fine, Jacobs."

_"Oh good. I got locked out of the comms system for your quarters for a few minutes. What happened?"_

"Get Admiral Hackett on the horn, something just came up."

_"Uh...aye-aye, sir." _The Captain paced back and forth across his room as he waited for Jacobs to patch Hackett through to him, cursing the fact that he now had yet another thing to add to his list of concerns. _"Sir, I've reached Hackett's ship, but their comm officer informed me that the Admiral is unavailable."_

"When will he be available?"

_"He didn't say, just that the Admiral is overseeing something important."_

"Alright, get Juarez and Makasani on conference call and keep trying the Admiral's ship."

_"Aye-aye, sir."_

Welch stood by while waiting for the other two captains to respond to his call, all the while rubbing his face and thinking of all his assorted stresses and worries, including his daughter, Helen. _Hang in there, kiddo. _His thoughts were pushed aside as the images of Captains Juarez and Makasani came up on his comm terminal.

_"This better be important, Welch!" _Makasani barked, obviously annoyed by the inconvenience.

Juarez shook his head at the older captain's outburst. _"What's the emergency, Bill?"_

"Gentlemen...we have a problem."

SSV Patillo Mess Hall

"After that, we had to climb up an elevator shaft to get to the 25th floor," Samantha recollected to the others in the mess hall, all of whom were focused on her every word, "then the krogan bent the elevator doors closed so they couldn't follow us. When we got to the transports, I could see everything that was going on outside...it was like an old disaster vid. These giant squid things were firing lasers all over the place, there were ships zooming past and getting shot out of the sky, screams coming from the streets...it was horrible."

"Damn," Nick said, losing his usual cool demeanor, "what happened next?"

"The guard at the transport said they couldn't fit any more people, but Nep convinced them to let me on board. I wanted to stay with them, but he begged me to go. Last I saw of them, they were grabbing some guns from some weapon crates a couple of marines threw down to them from the ship."

Narala put her fourth cup of coffee down and said, "So, the last time you saw them, they were alright?"

"Yeah...God, I hope Nep and the others are okay."

"It sounds like they had it handled," Telius said, half out of hope, "and don't worry about your friend, Mike will have his back."

"Yeah, he's had our backs since we started working for him. I can't even remember how many times he's saved my ass." Nick added, starting to regain his calm exterior.

"Thanks." Samantha tried to look confident in their words, but it was obvious she still feared the worst.

Narala caught on to this and patted her on the shoulder. "They'll be fine, we've just got to have faith."

"I know...it's just so hard to know there's nothing you can do."

"Don't worry about it," Cadet Jones spoke up from behind Samantha, much to her dismay, "once the Alliance gets back on its feet, we're gonna drive those freaks off our planet."

"With such "fine" soldiers as you serving us, I doubt it." Samantha growled at him, making Cadet Miles giggle.

"Nyuk nyuk, risk your life for these people on a daily basis and this is the thanks I get. Hmph, might as well have become a zoo keeper; just as much crap to deal with."

As Jones walked away to get a coffee, everyone turned to see Palana and Haal exit the kitchen, Haal with a tube of nutrient paste in his hand. "I told you, I am not hungry." Haal objected.

"You have not eaten in over a day, my love. You need to maintain your strength." Palana countered, ending the argument as far as she was concerned.

"Ugh, I should know better than to try and argue with you."

"Yes, you should." She then approached the table where Narala and the others were sitting. "I hope we're not interrupting anything."

"Not at all, Samantha was just telling us about the attack." Narala answered, offering a seat to Palana.

Palana looked at her husband until he reluctantly sat down on a free seat at the table as she took the seat next to his. "I hope you don't mind, but my husband hasn't eaten in the last twenty four hours, so I'm making sure he gets some sustenance."

"He's more than welcome."

Having hooked up the nutrient paste tube to his suit, Haal said, "Thank you again for keeping my wife company while I was attending to our accommodations."

"It was not trouble. By the way, this is Samantha, she's the one who saw our friend and your daughter during the attack."

Haal did his best to remain calm, though news of his daughter did cause him to become somewhat nervous. "Thank you for letting us know that you saw her."

Samantha nodded, "It was nothing, you should be really proud of your daughter, she was taking the situation pretty well."

"Good. She was trained for combat if she ever found herself in trouble, though I was unsure if we had trained her well enough for something like this."

Nick, having finished off a protein bar he found in the kitchen, said to Haal, "So, what was your daughter doing alone on Earth? Was it like a school field trip or something?"

Already realizing he was not going to particularly like this human, Haal said, "Hmph, hardly. It's a personal matter that someone such as yourself would probably find boring."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means it's none of your concern." The irritation apparent in Haal's voice forced Nick to remain quiet.

Telius broke the awkward silence that followed, "So Sam, what'd you say your friend's name was?"

"Nepturus Vitan. Do you know him?" Samantha answered.

"I heard a little about him. He was supposed to be some kind of engineering prodigy during his basic years, heard he even served aboard the Destiny Ascension until after the Citadel attack."

"Yeah...he doesn't like to talk too much about it."

"Why not? Something happen to him?" Nick asked.

"From what I heard he developed PTSD, couldn't even set foot on a ship anymore." Telius explained.

"It's...a little more complicated than that, but it's not my place to say anything."

"Aaahh, secret stuff. Gotcha." Nick winked, making Telius roll his eyes.

"What about that krogan they were with? Know anything about him?"

Haal's head shot up somewhat. "Krogan? Alaia is with a krogan?"

Samantha, somewhat unnerved at his reaction, said, "Yeah, why?"

"Incredible! First she shows no respect for quarian tradition, then she goes to a world full of xenophobic humans with no regard for her own safety, and now she's relying on a krogan in the middle of a war!"

"Haal, calm down!" Palana pleaded.

Though seeming like he was on the verge of a conniption, Haal took a few deep breaths and regained his composure. "I...I am sorry...I just...I need to compose myself. Excuse me." He hastily got up from the table and entered the elevator, leaning against the wall as the doors closed behind him.

Narala put a hand on Palana's shoulder, "Is he going to be alright?"

"Please excuse my husband's behavior, but you must understand. He may not show it, but he's been worried sick about our daughter since she left our ship, so he's very on edge right now."

"It's alright, we're all a little on edge right now." Telius reassured her.

"Yeah, that wasn't so bad, though. You should see one of 'Rala's temper tantrum's. Now that is scary." Nick added, though with little forethought.

Narala gave Nick a death stare as Telius said, "Real smooth, idiot."

"If you'll excuse me, I have to go check on Haal." Palana said, getting up from the table.

"Sure, go ahead." Narala smiled as Palana entered the elevator and proceeded to their quarters.

As the room fell silent and everyone simply sipped on their coffee or stared out the window into space, Jones leaned over to Cadet Miles and said, "These people are crazy." He was then greeted with Lucy's elbow being jabbed into his stomach along with one of her cocky grins.


	25. Chapter 19: Company Has Arrived

Chapter 19: Company Has Arrived

London

Buckingham Palace Med Bay

8:20 AM Galactic Standard Time

"How much longer is this going to take?" Shau asked, growing impatient as Nepturus fitted her with a powered leg brace.

"Unless you want this thing to fall apart on you, I need to make sure it's secure." Nepturus used his omni-tool to fasten a few of the brace's pieces in place as the others tended to their own wounds. Mike had just applied a bit of medi-gel to the cut he'd received on his head earlier, as well as several others he'd gotten from the shards of glass from the many display cases that had been destroyed near him. Alaia was checking her suit for any punctures or ruptures of any kind as she had been taught to do since childhood. Tarok simply allowed his wounds to heal naturally, barely thinking twice about his race's remarkable healing rate.

"I still can't believe that maniac destroyed his own transport." Mike said, still somewhat angry at Chamberlain's use of his father against him. "I knew he was crazy, but I didn't think he was stupid."

"I did," Tarok added, "though, to be fair, I generally assume any human is stupid...no offense." He half-joked.

"None taken." Mike sarcastically replied before looking to Alaia. "Is your suit alright?"

"Everything's green here, but please don't start obsessing over me if I do get a cut here and there. I brought enough antibiotics to help if I get an infection." Alaia then switched on her omni-tool, quickly punching in several commands.

"Checking your messages, kid?" Shau asked, wincing a second later as Nepturus adjusted her new leg brace.

"No, I'm trying to see if I can find any friendly comm channels. Still nothing."

"I doubt any survivors still left in the city are going to risk detection by sending out a comm signal. Besides, the Reapers seem to have pretty much blocked all comms anyway." Nepturus explained as he activated Shau's leg brace, the device whirring to life as the lights on the side lit up. "Okay, you're good to go. Just don't go jumping off buildings and you should be fine."

Shau shook her head at his joke as she hopped off the operating table to find the brace taking all the weight off of her broken leg. Though at first reluctant to thank a turian, Shau eventually managed to say, "Hey...thanks for the help."

"Don't mention it. Now that we're all patched up, we need to discuss our next move."

"Well," Mike said, "it's obvious that we can't stay here. If what Chamberlain said was true, we can expect a lot of Reapers here any time now."

Alaia then asked, "Well then, where do we go from here?"

"Good question." Tarok added. "It's not like the Alliance has set up an easy to find shelter."

"Reptile's right. Right now, the Alliance is going to focus on gathering any civilians they can find, but they won't put out a message telling people where to meet. That's just begging those things to come find them." Shau grabbed her pistol off of the table next to her, checking it as she talked.

"So the question is whether to go looking for other survivors or focus on finding a way off planet." Mike said.

"We're in no position to go out on rescue missions." Nepturus said, "We barely have enough supplies for ourselves. We need to focus on staying alive."

"But what about everyone else? If there are other people alive in the city, they may need help." Alaia replied.

Nepturus started filling a bag with as many medical supplies as he could. "I have to agree with Tarok on this one. Trying to find other people will only wear down our resources and put us into more contact with the Reapers. We need to find some place to hold out until rescue comes."

"If it comes." Tarok added, cynically.

"Tarok has a point," Mike said, "you saw what those things did to the Alliance ships above the city when the attack started. If the Alliance is coming back, they're going to wait until they can gather as many ships as they can. That could take weeks, months...even years."

"Not to mention the fact that other planets are being attacked. Earth may not be the galaxy's top priority right now." Nepturus added.

"Which brings up another question," Alaia started, "where do we go if we get off the planet?"

"Kid, we'll have to deal with that when we get to that point," Shau put her hand on Alaia's shoulder, "we need to focus on our current problems; starting with where we should go now."

The room fell silent for a moment, each person trying to think of a suitable plan. After a few seconds, Mike had a thought, "Hey Alaia, bring up that map of London on your omni-tool." Curious as to what he had in mind, she did as he asked. Mike put his finger at a point near the center of the map. "Okay, right now we're here, at Buckingham Palace. Which means if we have wide open gardens to the North, West, and East of us. So the easiest route for us to sneak out of the palace without being seen is due South."

"What if the Reapers come in from the South?" Nepturus asked.

Tarok approached the map. "The smart move would be to wait to see where they're going to make their approach, then plan an escape route around that."

"Too risky," Mike said, "if they manage to surround the building before we can react, it'll make any plans we have a moot point."

"Why can't we just bunker down in the palace? I'm sure we could hold them off with a place this big." Alaia suggested.

Shau elaborated, "The size of this place is the problem, kid. There's only five of us here, we'd be stretched too thin trying to cover all of the entrances."

"Alright, so far we've figured out that if we wait too long to leave, we're dead; but if we leave too soon without knowing where the Reapers are coming from, we're dead. Things just get better by the second." Mike said, rubbing his temples.

"The way I see it," Nepturus started, "we're more likely to be wiped out if we wait for them to overwhelm us here, so we have a better chance if we leave as soon as possible."

"Going out into a war zone blind...well, at least this plan doesn't lack in suspense." Tarok chuckled.

"We're all agreed then, we'll gather as many supplies from the palace as we can carry and head South." Mike concluded.

"Still, we can't just wander around the city blindly. We need a destination." Nepturus scanned the map for any places he thought would be suitable before stopping at one spot. "There, New Scotland Yard. It's only a few blocks away from here and we'll be able to restock our ammo there."

"You sure the place is safe?" Shau asked.

"It's the headquarters for the Metropolitan Police, so it's probably one of the more fortified areas in the city."

Alaia became nervous, "Oh...great."

"What's the problem?" Mike asked.

"Well...I didn't exactly start off on the right foot with the local police force."

"How so?"

"...I sort of kicked one of them in the groin."

"What?"

"He was giving me a hard time for no reason! He deserved it."

"HA! What I would have paid to see that." Tarok laughed.

"I'm sure if he's still there he'll look past it, considering the giant machines tearing up the planet." Mike reassured her.

Nepturus zipped up the bag of medical supplies he'd been collecting. "Alright, I think we're good on medi-gel, now we need to see if they have any food lying around."

"Ammo would be nice, too." Shau added.

"Okay, we'll split up and collect as many supplies as we can before we head out. One group will look for food, the other will scrounge up any ammo or guns they can find." Mike suggested.

"I volunteer to look for food." Alaia raised her hand, already feeling her stomach rumbling.

"I'll go with you." Nepturus said. "What about you, Mike?"

Mike looked over to Tarok and Shau, "I'm sure you two will want to stockpile the weapons in this place. Need any help?"

The two veterans looked at one another for a moment, somewhat wary of one another, before Tarok answered, "I guess we'll be alright...as long as she doesn't chip a nail."

"If I chip off anything, it'll be my foot in your ass." Shau joked as she and Tarok started to leave.

"Alright, let's meet up in the Ballroom when we're done." Mike suggested as he, Nepturus and Alaia left the room as well.

While they were on their way to the kitchens, Tarok and Shau were picking up any unspent thermal clips they could find amongst the dead mercs and destroyed mechs. Finding a higher quality shotgun amongst the bodies, Tarok inspected it thoroughly. "Now this is a weapon. Amazed a low level punk like that could get a hold of one of these."

Curious, Shau took a glance at it. "Huh, an Eviscerator. Sure you can handle a piece like that?" She shot him a cocky grin.

"Are you trying to make me angry, human?"

"I don't have to try, so no."

Tarok grumbled to himself as he collapsed his newly acquired gun and placed it on his back. As he bent down to check the bodies for more clips, Shau got a look at the long, jagged scar that divided his face, piquing her interest.

"So," she said, "how'd you get that scar? Lose a bar fight?"

"None of your business."

"What? Sore subject?"

"Very."

"Hm, I'll tell you how I got mine if you tell me how you got yours?"

Growling, Tarok ranted, "What is it with you humans and your questions? First Reynolds bombards me with questions this morning and now you're annoying me with your own."

"I'm just saying, that scar looks like it has an interesting story behind it and I'd rather not sit here in awkward silence while you put on the mysterious krogan badass routine."

Knowing from his past day and a half with Mike that human curiosity isn't suppressed easily, Tarok groaned and said, "Fine, if it'll earn me some peace and quiet." He closed his eyes for a moment, remembering events that took place almost a century ago with a somber mood. "At one time, I was the hero of my clan, the one that clan brothers would brag about when meeting with other clans. I was known all across Tuchanka as the one who nearly destroyed Clan Weyrloc when they attempted to take over our territory. I was a legend."

"So you got the scar from that?"

"...no. About a hundred years ago...my clan leader found out that a rival clan was encroaching dangerously close to the borders of our clan's female camp. On Tuchanka, females are one of the most coveted things a clan can possess; even more so than food or clean water. So, as you can imagine, he didn't want the other clan to have them. He told me to take a team out to the female camp to deter the other clan from trying anything. For the first few weeks, we only got a few glimpses at them, but they never came too close to the camp's borders. Then, one night, I was...distracted from the camp for a few minutes...that's when the enemy clan decided to strike. Before I knew what was going on, they'd started shelling the camp and storming in, killing off most of my men before I could get there to help. By the time I got there, most of the females had been taken and all of the sucklings had been killed along with my men."

"Damn...I hope you got back at the bastards for it."

"I never got the chance...when I got back to my clan, I told them what had happened...and they turned on me. They blamed me for what happened, said that I was negligent and stupid for leaving my men...and they were right. Before I could convince them to let me get our females back, the clan demanded I be punished, so instead of executing me, the clan leader took pity on me and exiled me instead, marking my face with his own dagger to let any krogan that saw me know that I was clanless. One stupid mistake...and everything I called home was taken from me, and this scar is going to be there to remind me for as long as I live...satisfied, human?"

Shau, though not easily saddened, did show a bit of guilt for making him relive that. "Sorry...didn't know it was that personal."

"Well, now you know."

"You know, you and I have a lot more in common than I thought."

"I doubt it."

"No, really. My scar didn't exactly come from a happy memory either."

"Few ever do."

"You want to hear the story or not?"

"...Will you keep nagging me if I say no?"

"No, I'll just tell you anyway."

"Ugggh, humans...alright, but let's finish this up while you're talking."

"Fair enough." Shau tossed the bag she'd brought from the med bay between them so they could gather up the thermal clips. "Well, you remember how I didn't really like your turian friend when we first met?"

"I wouldn't call us friends...more like forced acquaintances."

"Whatever, it was back during the First Contact War, about a week before the birds took Shanxi. I was stationed in the Horsehead Nebula with my husband, Trent. Burliest SOB I've ever known...and a good man. Anyway, we were stationed aboard the SSV Beijing on a scouting mission, trying to gather some intel on the turians. Well, just as we were about to leave the system, a turian cruiser ambushed us and forced us to make an emergency landing on this deserted hunk of rock called Therumlon. Piece of crap planet didn't even have oxygen and its sun barely warmed the place at all. Half the men aboard the ship died from asphyxia before we could even get our bearings. Trent and I gathered up what was left of the men and fortified before the turians started bombing the site...we never stood a chance. By the time the turians set down and got into a firefight with us, there were only a handful of us left. One of the birds threw a grenade right in the middle of our position, so Trent pushed me away and dove onto it right before it exploded. The force still sent me flying face-first into a rock...damn near tore my face off. The last thing I saw before blacking out was what was left of Trent lying all over the place... The next thing I knew I was waking up in a turian POW station with a bandage over half of my face."

Though many would expect Tarok to respond with a disinterested grumble, he kept silent. "Hm...it never gets easy, does it?"

"What?"

"Losing everything in the blink of an eye...it changes you."

"Yeah...hell, who ever knew I'd find a 'kindred spirit' in a krogan, huh?"

"The turians took everything from my people when they released the genophage, so I guess you could say I can sympathize."

"So then why are you sticking with that Nepturus guy? Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful he patched up my leg, but he's still one of them."

"Maybe, but at least he doesn't lie to my face about it. I can respect him for that, at least. Besides, if I killed him, Reynolds and the girl wouldn't be too happy about it." Tarok chuckled.

"You must respect jacket boy a lot. He's the only one you call by name."

"...Well, he reminded me a bit of myself with that pep talk of his."

"And how about the girl? You seem pretty soft when she talks to you."

"Girlie may not look it at first glance, but she's got the heart of a krogan. She'd never seen a krogan before she met me and she stood up to me not knowing whether or not she'd live to tell about it. You almost done getting the clips off of these guys?"

"Yeah, that's it for this group, let's check upstairs."

"Alright." Tarok stood up and proceeded up the nearby staircase, Shau close behind him.

"Hey, Reptile."

Not in the mood to complain about her choice of nickname, Tarok just went, "Hm?"

"You're a pretty good listener, you know that?"

"Well, when everyone else in the galaxy doesn't know when to be quiet, you learn to listen."

"Amen to that."

Meanwhile...

Having found the kitchen completely emptied of supplies, Mike, Nep, and Alaia were now searching through the many rooms of the palace for any rations they could find. Though at first unsuccessful, as the mercs had already consumed most of it, they then found their way into the gift shop, which had luckily been ignored by Chamberlain's men.

"Ugh, finally!" Mike groaned. "I thought they'd eaten every scrap of food in this place."

Nepturus looked through the inventory of candy and nutrient bars lining one wall of the shop. "Just as I thought, all levo-amino. Alaia and I can't eat this stuff."

"They have to have some turian tourists here from time to time, maybe they keep the dextro stuff behind the counter?" Alaia thought.

"Good idea. Let's check." Mike leaped over the counter and checked the shelves behind the counter. Pushing through various datapads and bits of trash, Mike found something. "I think I found you guys some food."

"You sure we can eat it?" Nepturus asked.

"Well, if this is any indicator..." Mike brought up a rather large box filled with protein bars labeled 'Bird chow – Not for human consumption'.

"Bird chow...charming." Nepturus brushed off the racial slur and checked the nutritional facts on the bars just to be safe. "Okay, we're good. Let's get as much of this food into the bag as we can. We don't know when we'll get a chance to find more."

They started to throw as many of the bars as they could into their food bag, being careful to remember which were the levo bars and the dextro bars. Having emptied out the box of dextro bars, Alaia decided to check her omni-tool for signals again out of habit. Switching it on, she scanned the area for any kind of comm signal, fully expecting to get nothing. Then, her omni-tool started beeping slowly, causing Alaia's eyes to light up. "Hey...hey hey hey, I've got something!"

Her excited announcement caught the others' attention. "You found someone? Where?" Mike asked.

"Wait..that's weird. It looks like an emergency beacon, but it's coming from this room."

"That's impossible," Nepturus pointed out, "there's no one else here."

"Hang on..." Alaia followed her omni-tool's scanner to the source of the signal, leading her to a shelf stacked with hard copy posters of the exterior of the palace. "It's coming from behind these posters."

Mike looked closely at the stacked pieces of paper before noticing that one of the stacks was a little sloppier than the others, with some of the posters sticking out a odd angles. He grabbed the stack and pulled it off of the shelf, revealing a small device tucked behind it. "Hello, what have we here?" Mike grabbed it and held it out to the others.

Nepturus took it in his own hand and inspected it. "Hm, it looks like some sort of OSD, but with a built-in distress beacon. Why would someone leave this here?" He then opened his omni-tool, attempting to access the device, only to be met with an error message. "Damn, whatever this thing is, it's locked up tight."

"Here, let me try." Alaia took the device and began scanning it. Nepturus at first wanted to say she wouldn't be able to crack it, but, learning from her previous exploits, he knew she probably could. "Huh, it looks like a military-grade encryption. Possibly a triple encrypted access denial system."

"Yeah," Nepturus said, looking at the read out on Alaia's omni-tool, "and check out the backdoor firewalls it has set up, someone with some real talent programmed this thing."

"Plus it looks like there's a thirteen digit passcode guarded by a 32-bit lockout protocol."

Supremely confused, Mike said, "Ugh...let's pretend that one of us didn't major in computer science. What does that all mean?"

"Basically, it's locked down tight. Multiple levels of security." Nepturus explained.

"Any idea what's on it?"

"We won't know until we open it." Alaia said, still working on cracking the security.

"Should we be trying to get into it, though? It's not exactly ours."

"This thing was hidden behind a stack of posters and was broadcasting a signal that anyone close enough to it could have detected, whoever hid it was asking for it." Alaia joked.

"Well, let's get back to Tarok and Shau while you're doing that. Hopefully, they haven't killed each other yet."

Nepturus chuckled, "Heh, we probably would have heard the explosions if they had."

"True." Mike turned his omni-tool on and opened the comm channel they'd set up between each other. "Tarok, this is Mike. How's the gun hunt going?"

After a few seconds, Tarok's voice came in, _"We found some good rifles and pistols, as well as a ton of clips. We should be set for a while...unless the turian's aim stays the same." _

"Kindly tell Tarok to go screw himself, would you Mike?" Nepturus responded sarcastically.

A small chuckle escaped Alaia's throat as Mike smiled. "Copy that, Big Guy. He found plenty of food to keep us going for at least a couple of weeks. Where are you guys?"

_"We're in the room where we tangled with Chamberlain...smartass rich-boy looks good as a stain on the pavement."_

"Alright, we're heading for the ballroom now, see you-"

_"Wait..."_

"What? What is it?"

_"..."_

"Tarok?" Mike's call was met with the sounds of gunfire coming from outside. Alaia pocketed the OSD as Nepturus strapped the food bag around his chest, ready to get moving.

_"We've got company!"_ Tarok yelled out over the comm, the sounds of assault rifle fire in the background. _"We've got turian reapers firing on us from the north along with some things we haven't seen yet, and husks pouring in from the east._

"Damn. Fall back to the Ballroom, we'll meet up there and fight our way out."

_"Ballroom's too exposed, Reynolds! We'll meet you near the big staircase!"_

"Alright, stay safe."

_"HA, tell that to these freaks! Tarok out!"_

Mike shut off his omni-tool. "Alright, the Grand Staircase was near the front entrance, right?"

"Yeah, let's move." Nepturus answered, pulling out his assault rifle. Alaia and Mike pulled out their own weapons as they made their way out of the gift shop and into the west hall, heading towards the front hall. Just as they were about to reach their destination, one of the doors in the hall blew out, revealing a group of husks ahead of them.

"Crap! Open up!" Nepturus yelled as he opened fire on the husks along with the others, taking out a few of them before they saw another creature appear from the room. It was larger than the husks with a bulbous hunch on its back, a large mouth with an eerie blue glow emanating from the inside, multiple pairs of eyes, and what looked like a cannon attached to its right hand.

"What the hell is that thing?" Alaia called out. The creature then pointed its cannon at them, firing off several rounds at them as it moaned ferociously, forcing them to take cover in the rooms next to them.

"Oh come on! Now there are two kinds of those freaks that can shoot at us?" Mike yelled as he shot at the creature, taking off half of its head without slowing it down.

Nepturus took a deep breath, taking out his sniper rifle in the process, and jumped out from cover, firing a shot at the creature's head, removing the rest of it and killing it instantly. "Headshot!"

"Nice!" Mike congratulated Nepturus just before another round ricocheted off of the door frame next to him. "Son of a-!" Another creature had appeared from the same room and was approaching the corpse of its fallen comrade, kneeling down next to it. Mike looked on in disgust as it began chewing on the remains. "What is that thing doing?" Before the others could answer, Mike noticed that as it continued to consume its friend, armored plates began appearing over its body.

"Quick, take it out! It's fortifying itself!" Nepturus said before shooting the reaper, only for the bullet to be deflected somewhat by its new armor plating. "Not good." He said, switching to his assault rifle as Mike and Alaia saw more husks come in behind the armored creature.

Coming up with a plan to deal with it, Mike said, "Guys, let it come to us."

"What?" Nepturus asked, confused.

"I've got this, trust me."

Reluctantly, Nepturus stayed behind cover, as did Alaia. The creature slowly approached them, a low growl coming from its mutated mouth as it trained its weaponized arm on Mike's doorway. Just as it was about to enter the room, Mike spun out of the doorway, slamming his rifle butt into the creature's head, staggering it before he activated his omni-blade and stabbed it through the armor plating over its face and knocking it to the ground. The armor on its head gone, Mike trained his rifle on it and fired several rounds, finally finishing it off. Nepturus checked down the hall for more husks, seeing none.

"Clear." Nepturus breathed a sigh of relief for the moment, turning to Mike, who was checking to make sure the creature was dead. "You love to take risks, don't you?"

"It's served me well so far." Mike joked as he got a good look at what was left of the reaper. Noticing an unmistakable racial trait, he pointed it out to the others. "This thing...I think it used to be a batarian."

Nepturus inspected it himself and nodded. "It sure looks like it."

Alaia walked up next to it, shaking her head. "First humans, then turians, now batarians...they're mutating every species in the galaxy. What if my people are next?"

"You can't let this get to you. That's exactly why they do this, psychological warfare." Nepturus said.

"Yeah, I know...it just makes me wonder if we're just delaying the inevitable."

"Hey...," Mike put his hand on Alaia's shoulder, "we're going to get out of this. If you let those things get to you like this, then they win, and I know you're too stubborn to let these freaks win."

Alaia took a deep breath, calming herself. "You're right. Thanks."

"No problem, we're in this together, right?"

"All the way. Come on, Tarok and Shau may be in trouble."

"Considering those two, I'd say the reapers are the ones in trouble." Nepturus said. "Let's move."

Stepping over the husks, the group made their way towards the main hall while Mike called Tarok. "Tarok, you there?" A few moments of silence followed as they waited for a response. "Tarok, come in!"

Finally, Tarok's voice came in loud and clear. _"Where are you idiots? We're pinned down on the top of the stairs!"_

"We're on our way, and Tarok, if you see any of those batarian reapers, don't let them eat each other!"

_"...what?"_

"Just trust me! Mike out!"

"I think you confused him a bit." Nepturus joked.

"We're almost to them." Just as Mike finished his sentence, they turned a corner to see several turian and batarian reapers firing up at Tarok and Shau, who had already taken care of the husks, which were laid strewn across the stairs. "Let's divide their attention." Mike then fired at the reapers, taking one of turians out as the others became aware of their presence.

"About time you showed up!" Shau called out from the top of the stairs before blowing a batarian reaper's head off with her pistol.

Just as its body his the floor, another one came up to it and began to devour it, recycling its brethren's mass into armor plating. "Tarok!" Nepturus called out. "Take that thing out before it finishes!"

Tarok took aim with his shotgun and fired a shot directly at the creature's head, blowing a large hole straight through its body. "Taken care of!" At that point, it was down to three turian reapers, who had decided to rush the stairs in an attempt to catch Tarok and Shau off guard. However, Tarok saw this from a mile away and smiled as he came out from cover and charged at them, grabbing one on his way down, throwing it into the second one and finally slamming his fist into the last, sending it flying through the main doors. "Ha, not too bright, are they?" Nepturus saw one of the reapers he'd thrown down the stairs get up slowly and train its gun on Tarok. Thinking quickly, he pulled his sniper rifle out and fired a split second shot, taking its head off. Tarok snapped around with his gun drawn, only to see a headless reaper at his feet. Looking back to Nepturus, he said, "Sure you were aiming for the reaper?"

"Yeah, you're welcome...again." Nepturus put his gun away as everyone grouped at the bottom of the stairs.

"Alright, same plan as before; we exit through the south and then head east towards New Scotland Yard." Mike said, ejecting a spent clip from his gun.

"Sounds good to me, let's just get moving before-" Shau was interrupted by the sound of a loud crash coming from where Mike, Nepturus, and Alaia had just come from, as well as an echoing roar and thundering footsteps.

"Other way, move!" Nepturus yelled, the others following his suggestion and running down the opposite hall.

As they made their way down the hall, Alaia caught a quick glimpse down another hallway, where a group of reapers seemed to be to scrounging through a pile of tech that Chamberlain's men had brought in. "What are they looking for?" She thought out loud.

"Who knows? Let's keep moving!" Mike said before a loud, robotic sound thundered through the palace, coming from outside.

"The hell was that?" Tarok asked.

Suddenly, a large beam of red energy blasted through the window in front of them, a few mere feet away from them. "Holy crap!" Nepturus called out in shock.

Mike looked out of the large gap in the wall left by the beam and was dumbfounded by what he saw, as were the others. Outside of the palace, one of the enormous ships had set down in the east garden, towering over the building and casting a large shadow across the grounds. "Keelah..." Alaia said, at a loss for a clever remark.

Before the others could give their thoughts, the massive ship lifted one of its tentacle arms and pointed it towards them. "Ooooh shit! RUN!" Mike yelled before bolting down the hall along with the others, who barely made it past the spot where the ship's beam tore another hole in the palace, sending pieces of stone and glass flying in every direction. As they sprinted down the hole, blast after blast decimated the building, each one nearly hitting them and causing them to stagger. "MOVE MOVE MOVE!"

"OH CRAP!" Alaia screamed.

"Keep going! GO!" Tarok urged.

Just as they were about to turn a corner, the ship fired at the floor above them, causing the ceiling to cave in as they rounded into the next hall, nearly crushing them. The blast had knocked them all to the ground and flooded the immediate area with dust. Stopping for a second to catch his breath, Mike looked behind him to do a head count. "Hey...where's Shau?"

The others looked around before looking back to the pile of rubble behind them. "Oh no..." Alaia said, fearing the worst.

Mike opened his omni-tool and called Shau. "Shau! Shau, come in! Are you alright?"

It took a few seconds, but they miraculously got a response. _"Shau here...*cough cough*...everyone alright over there?"_

Smiling in relief, Mike said, "Yeah, we're fine. You?"

_"There's no way I'm making it past this debris...just keep going and I'll catch up."_

"What? No way, just hang on and we'll-"

_"Those things are going to get all of us if you stick around the help me. I'll be fine, just keep going!"_

At this point, Alaia jumped onto the comm channel. "Shau, we're not leaving you here!"

_"I don't plan on dying today, kid...so don't worry about me and just keep going. You got me?"_

"But...okay. We'll meet up with you later." Alaia said, unsure if what she just said was true.

_"Damn right you will...and Reptile? Take care of your people while I'm gone. Now get moving before I dig through this wall and kick your asses!" _With that, Shau left the comm channel.

The four survivors looked at one another for a moment before finally turning from the rubble and heading down the hall. Before long, they reached the employee access that they used to sneak inside the palace and went inside, hoping the reapers hadn't figured out it was there. They each got their guns out just in case as they turned on their omni-tools' flashlights, checking every corner. When they reached the ladder up to the grounds, Nepturus walked up to it. "I'll check if the coast is clear."

"Alright, if it is, signal down to us and we'll start heading up." Mike said as Nepturus made his way up the ladder. Ever so gently, he opened the access hatch to allow himself to see outside, checking all directions for reapers. When he was sure it was all clear, he did a quick thumbs up to the others. "Alright, Alaia, you go after Nep. Tarok and I will be right behind you."

Alaia took a quick glance back, still uncomfortable with leaving Shau alone. "Okay, I'm right behind you Nep."

Nep made his way out of the hatch and signaled for Alaia to follow him behind a hedge to the south. Mike and Tarok turned their heads when they heard pounding on the door behind them. "Quick, you next, Reynolds. I'll keep you covered."

"Alright." Mike quickly jumped on the ladder and climbed as fast as he could as Tarok kept watch on the entrance. Once he was out of the hatch, Mike looked back down the hatch. "Okay, I'm out. Come on!"

As Tarok put away his shotgun and grabbed the ladder, he heard a loud metallic shriek as the doors were torn out of the doorway. He went up the ladder with lightning speed as Mike took his hand and helped him out of the hatch. "Get moving!" He and Mike met up with Nepturus and Alaia behind the hedge and they all sprinted due south, away from the palace. Making sure to keep low, they went straight for the road not too far from the palace, managing to reach it without being spotted. They took cover behind the large fence that surrounded the palace and caught their breath.

Mike peeked around the fence and saw the ship still grounded near the palace. Then, before their eyes, the ship sent a long beam straight through the entire palace, causing half of it to collapse from the structural damage before the other followed suit, causing a large plume of smoke to billow into the sky. The group stared at the remains of the building they had been in only a minute earlier in complete silence.

Alaia scanned the area around the palace, looking for any sign of life. She then opened her omni-tool and tried to call Shau. "Shau, come in, it's Alaia!...Shau?"

There was no answer...they waited for a minute or two, but all she got was static. Alaia deactivated her omni-tool, her head dropping. Tarok cautiously put a hand on her shoulder as she tried as hard as she could to hold back her tears. Finally, she spun around and hugged him tightly, a sob escaping her throat. At first unsure what to do, he brought his arm around her back returned her hug, allowing her to vent her feelings.

"How many more people do we have to leave to die?" She cried, inwardly cursing herself for collapsing like she was.

Mike rubbed his eyes as Nepturus tried to think of something to say. After about a minute, Tarok gently brought Alaia an arm length away from him and looked her in the eye. "She made her choice. As long as you remember her sacrifice, you'll never have left her to die."

Still sniffling a bit, Alaia smiled at him and said, "...Thanks, Tarok. Now...don't think you guys can start treating me like a vulnerable little girl just because a few tears slipped through. I'm fine."

"It's alright, Alaia. Seeing stuff like this isn't easy...trust me." Nepturus said, giving her a quick hug, as did Mike.

"Besides," Mike added, "all things considered, you're doing pretty damn good."

"Thanks guys...okay, I'm back to 100%. Let's...let's get going."

"Alright," Nep said, "we just need to head down this road and then turn left. From there, we should be able to find New Scotland Yard with the road signs."

"Good, let's go. I've had enough of this place." Tarok said as he started walking down the southward road, the others in tow.

Buckingham Palace Ruins

Amongst the rubble left behind by the destruction of the palace, the servants of the Reapers focused on one object which was relatively untouched by the collapse: a damaged Atlas mech with a pool of red running from underneath its chassis. Several husks, as well as a much larger creature, surrounded the remains as the large ship looked on, its ominous, robotic eyes sensing an opportunity.

**Bring it to me...this fragile form may still be of use to us.**

The order was heeded without question as the large creature grabbed the mech's leg and began to drag it towards the ship, the blood leaving a trail behind it.


	26. Chapter 20: Sanctuary

Chapter 20: Sanctuary

London, Earth

New Scotland Yard

9:30 AM Galactic Standard Time

"Damn, this place got hit hard." Mike said, observing the New Scotland Yard building, which was half destroyed and producing a large billow of smoke from it's east side. What was once the fleet of police vehicles lining the front of the building was now nothing more than a pile of scrap metal, some even torn in half as if by something's bare hands. Several burned corpses were left laying on the stairs leading to the front doors, the charred remains of firearms scattered around them. The group slowly approached the building, weapons drawn and ready to fire at a moment's notice.

Alaia looked at the bodies on the stairs, shaking her head. "They must have been hit just as the attack started."

"Yeah," Nepturus added, "they would have been caught completely off guard. These guys were trained to deal with gangs and drug dealers, not full-scale war. Poor bastards."

"Can't do anything about it now. Let's just get inside." Tarok said, covering their flank.

They ascended the stairs, being careful not to step on the remains of the dead policemen. Mike was the first to reach the doors as he hoped that they would open by simply pressing the button on the console. To his surprise, the door slid open with relative ease. "Huh, that's a nice change of pace: something that actually works."

"Maybe that means there are still some people inside." Alaia said, optimistically.

"Still, stay sharp in there." Tarok cautioned.

Mike nodded as he pulled out his pistol and slowly stepped into the building, checking all around the entrance hall for threats. The inside of the police building was even worse than the outside. The bodies of policemen who fought to the end to defend the area from the invading monsters were either gunned down or beaten to death where they stood, though it was obvious from the many guns that didn't have a body next to them that many of them were taken to be turned into husks. It seemed, however, that they had not gone down without a fight, as several reaper corpses were strewn across the floor along with the policemen. The front desk was riddled with bullet holes from where several officers had used it for cover from the barrage of reaper gunfire. One of the doors leading to the detective desks seemed to have been forced open, as it was stuck at an odd angle in the door frame. Overall, the first room was an ominous hint as to the state of the rest of the building.

"First room's clear." Mike said, still saddened by the number of bodies lying around the room. "Watch your step, though."

Upon entering the room, Alaia caught a glimpse of the slaughter. "Keelah...and I thought the hotel was bad."

"At least they put up a good fight." Nepturus added, checking the room behind the forced door, only to see several more corpses.

"Yeah, but the reapers put up a better fight, by the looks of things." Tarok stepped over a dead husk and went over to the front desk, looking over it to see trails of blood leading out from behind the counter.

"It looks like the reapers have moved on, at least. As long as we keep our heads down and don't draw attention to ourselves, this should be a safe enough place to bunker down for a day or two." Nepturus observed.

"Let's check the entire building first. I want to make sure there aren't any more of those things left in here." Mike added out of precaution.

"Yeah, I'd prefer not to be woken up with a husk standing over me. They're creepy enough as it is." Alaia half-joked.

"Okay, let's search each floor starting with this one." Mike suggested.

"I'd feel better if we started planning our next move. All of this running around at random is getting old." Tarok commented.

"Alright, we'll do that as soon as we know the building's secure." Nepturus responded. "Let's start with that room over there." They each pulled out their guns as they moved to the door, beginning their long search across the building.

They finished the first floor easily enough before moving on to the second, which seemed to have fewer bodies than the first, though there were still signs of a struggle. The rest of the seven floors went about as uneventfully, with each floor looking more evacuated than fought in. When they reached the last floor, they found that it had a small kitchen and an entertainment area, which meant it was probably used as a break area for off-duty officers. It had been a good hour since they started, so they were eager to finally call the all clear.

"Phew, those stairs were pretty steep." Nepturus huffed.

"Yeah, but I am not getting in those elevators." Alaia said, leaning herself against a wall to relax.

"I hear you. We already have enough things trying to kill us." Mike said as he checked the kitchen for supplies. Not surprisingly, the power had gone out in the building, so the refrigerator was no longer working. However, the food inside was still decently chilled and the refrigerator itself was still holding its chill. "There's not a lot of food in here, but it should keep us for a few days and let us save the stuff we found at the Palace for later."

"At least for you and Tarok." Alaia corrected.

"Fine by me." Tarok said, putting his shotgun away. "We'll need an escape plan if those things storm the building."

"I saw an emergency fire escape running up the side of the building when we first got here. It looked like it led to the alley behind the building itself, which should make a pretty good escape route if we need it." As Nepturus explained, he went to the janitor's closet on the far side of the floor on a hunch. Luckily, the pistons on the door were not as heavy duty as at the hotel or the palace, so he could force them open himself, revealing a window marked "Emergency Fire Exit". "There, a quick way out."

"Good. Any idea how we can block out the windows?" Mike asked, noticing how, even though the building was not as tall as many of the others in the city, there was still a decent view of some of the city skyline; meaning if one of the larger reapers looked at the building, it could easily see them.

"Without power, we can't. We'll have to stick to the back rooms where we can't be seen."

"Why can't we just board them up?" Alaia asked.

"Too conspicuous. If they see that the windows on the top floor are boarded up, they'll now someone's in here."

"Alright," Mike said, "let's get in there before we're noticed."

The group spent the next few minutes setting up the back rooms as a makeshift shelter for whatever amount of time they would be there. Tarok and Mike moved the furniture around to give them room to sleep while Nepturus and Alaia set up some simple alarm systems in the stair case to alert them if anything was heading their way. They then raided all of the floors for any medical supplies, finding a modest supply of medi-gel in the building's first aid station. Finally, after scrounging for any weapons and clips they could find, they made their way back to the top floor, sealed the door to the staircase behind them and did the same to the doors to the back rooms.

Having adequately supplied themselves, they used the cushions from the furniture in the room to set up some makeshift beds on the floor. Mike laid back on his improvised bed and sighed. "Man, it feels good to have something soft to relax on."

Alaia put her hands behind her head and did the same. "No kidding. All of this makes me miss my bed back on the Ictomy."

"I actually preferred the floor of that restaurant compared to the beds I had back in my military days." Nepturus joked, checking the sensors that he and Alaia had improvised and put around the stairs.

"Do you realize how old you sound when you talk like that?" Mike quipped. "'Back in my day, we slept on rocks and ate dirt and we were thankful!'" Mike's old man impression made Alaia laugh while Nepturus smiled and rolled his eyes.

Tarok just sat there and groaned. "You're one to talk, Reynolds."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You sounded like an obnoxious suckling when you said that."

"Just trying to lighten the mood, Big Guy."

Tarok groaned and sat down against a wall, preparing to check in guns once again. Once Nepturus was sure that the sensors they'd set up were working, he stretched his arms out and arched his back. "I don't know about you guys, but I need some rest." He then laid down on his bed and closed his eyes.

"Same here. I think we're going to need all the energy we can muster pretty soon." As Mike readied himself to take a quick nap, he looked over to Alaia to see her looking at her omni-tool, which was open to the comm channel they'd set up at the palace. "You alright, Alaia?" He asked.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, just...checking." Alaia's voice dropped as she again found no signal outside of the building.

"You sure you're okay?"

"...It's just...I feel like we abandoned her. Like we could have done more..."

"I know how you feel, but if we had stayed we would have been killed too. She knew that, so she decided to tell us to leave. Remember her for that."

Alaia brought her knees up to her chest and laid her chin on top of them. "I know...I'll be fine. I just didn't really expect any of this when I started my pilgrimage. I'm surprised I haven't gone crazy yet."

"You're stronger than most, girlie." Tarok said from across the room. "You stood your ground against those freaks out there and survived where trained soldiers had died. That's impressive...for a quarian."

"Thanks, guys. So...what are we going to do while we're cooped up in here? We don't exactly have a deck of cards on us."

"I'm going to follow Nep's example and catch a few Zs, you could do the same." Mike yawned.

"I'm not tired, though."

"Well, you and Tarok could have a staring contest." Mike could hear Tarok bemoan that idea as his eyes closed, a mischievous smile forming on his face.

"I'll think of something. Good night."

Mike yawned again. "Good night." With that, Mike fell asleep in seconds.

Alaia sat in the room, mostly looking down at her feet as an awkward silence fell over the room. Hoping to find something to do, Alaia looked over to Tarok, "Hey, Tarok, I-" She was met by the sight of Tarok sound asleep, his head tilted down as his mouth hung open. _Awwww, like a baby! _Alaia smiled to herself as she looked over her friends getting some much deserved rest. Though at first she was at a loss for something to do, an idea soon popped into her head as she opened her omni-tool and activated its art program.

SSV Patillo

Shanxi-Theta Relay

3 hours later...

_"...and that's all he told you?"_ Admiral Hackett asked Captain Welch concerning his call from the Illusive Man.

"Yes, I've already alerted Makasani and Juarez. Their ships are on high alert, as is mine." Welch answered.

_"I know I don't have to tell you this, but you cannot allow them to reach Earth. The Illusive Man may claim to work for the benefit of humanity, but his methods are too extreme and there's no telling what he wants from Earth. Keep his people away from the relay, but do not underestimate them. Shepard sent us a report on Cerberus troops that had overtaken the martian ruins, we believe there's a strong chance the entire organization's been indoctrinated, the Illusive Man included."_

"What can we expect?"

_"Their people are well trained, well equipped, and highly augmented. More than likely, they'll send some fighters to distract you while their transport ship pushes past the blockade."_

"We'll have Makasani's ship focus on keeping the fighters under control. Juarez's ship has the more powerful guns, so we'll have him focus fire on any transport vessels while my crew covers him."

_"A good strategy, but don't decide on anything until you've got them in your sights. If Cerberus is one thing, it's crafty. They may try anything to get to the relay, so keep on your toes."_

"Yes, sir."

_"Good...and before I forget, I have some news about Helen."_

Welch's eyes shot up to the Admiral's image upon mention of his daughter's name. Fearing the worst, he cleared his throat. "...Go ahead."

_"We finally managed to get a report from Earth. It mentioned your daughter was last seen defending civilians in London earlier this morning, though where they are now is unknown."_

Somewhat breathing a sigh of relief, Welch replied. "Thanks, Steve. It's something to go on, at least."

_"We need all the hope we can get in times like this. Keep you and your crew safe, Bill. Hackett out."_

As the Admiral's image faded from the comm screen, Welch took a moment to contemplate the threat that was coming. He had never seen Cerberus troops before, so he would essentially be flying blind when they arrived. He looked out the window of his cabin, taking in the billions of stars outside as he usually did before a battle. He then proceeded to the elevator to head to the bridge, knowing that's where he needed to be before the battle started.

Crew Deck 3

Haal and Palana sat alone in the crew quarters, discussing the past, present, and future in an attempt to take their minds off of their fears. Haal kept his hands behind his back as he stared out of the viewport while Palana put a hand on his shoulder. "You're not still angry with her, are you?" She asked.

"...Why shouldn't I be? She defied my wishes, embarrassed her home ship, put herself in danger...She'll be lucky if I ever allow her out of my sight again if we get her back." Haal showed little emotion, as was his custom, while he conveyed his feelings, though it was clear he was far more stressed than he appeared.

"She would have been in danger on her pilgrimage, anyway. If anything, you should be proud of her."

"Proud? I should be proud of my daughter for disrespecting me?"

"No, you should be proud of her for pursuing her dreams despite the danger."

"Her "dreams" would have gained her nothing but a life of seclusion and wasted time. I've already made this quite clear."

"Painfully clear, if Alaia were here to express her opinion." Palana began showing signs of anger as her husband remained monotone.

"She is a child, she doesn't know what her opinions are."

"She's not a child, Haal. She's as old as you were when you asked me to marry you. Does that mean I was just a passing fancy of yours?"

Palana's attempts to twist his words against him began to test his patience. "Of course not! That is an entirely different matter!"

"I don't see how! If you knew what you wanted at that age, then why can't our daughter?"

"I simply want what's best for her!"

"Are you sure? Or do you simply want a daughter you can brag about to the other captains!"

"Are you calling me selfish? I passed up chances to become an Admiral so I could be with you two! I could have been one of the most powerful members of the Migrant Fleet, but I gave up those chances because I knew it would isolate me from you both! So don't you dare call me selfish!"

"If you care about her so much, why do you work so hard to crush her dreams?"

Haal tried his best to compose himself again, though it was becoming a much harder battle. "It was never my intention to crush her dreams. I just want her to have a secure place in the Flotilla."

"Why is that so important to you?"

"...I refuse to discuss this any further."

"Don't think I'm another one of your crewmen that you can just dismiss when you see fit!"

"I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"Why do you not trust your own daughter?"

"Palana..."

"Tell me!"

"BECAUSE I'M AFRAID! THERE, I SAID IT! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?!" Silence fell through the deck at Haal's outburst, the last two days of fear of and stress having been forced from him. Haal turned from his wife and leaned his head against his arm on the viewport.

Palana was genuinely shocked, not expecting him to react so strongly. "Afraid? Afraid of what?"

Haal took several deep breaths, trying to regain control of himself. "...I told you about how I once wanted to be a marine? How I dreamed of fighting the geth off of our homeworld some day?"

"Yes. You said you couldn't because you couldn't pass the physical."

"...Forgive me, but that's not the whole truth."

"But why would you lie to me about this?"

"...When I was eighteen...I tried to enlist, but my respiratory disorder kept me from getting in. I was so frustrated that I wanted to prove to everyone that it wouldn't hinder me." As Haal conveyed his story, his voice became filled with what could only be described as bottled up emotion. "I was so excited at the prospect of finally becoming a marine that I snuck aboard a marine vessel about to go on a mission inside the Veil to recover a young man on pilgrimage. When we arrived at the signal's origin on a planet named Kaddi ...they found what was left of him, shot to pieces. I revealed myself at that point, but before the commander could do anything about me, we were attacked by geth."

Haal clenched his fists against the viewport as Palana listened to his every word.

"Half of the squad was gunned down in seconds as the rest of us made our way behind a large boulder. I'd managed to grab an assault rifle from a fallen marine, but everything was happening so fast that I couldn't help them. Before long, it was only me and the commander left...he'd been injured by a geth sniper and we were forced to retreat back to the ship. He collapsed to the ground halfway there and died in my arms...I was alone. I could hear them coming after me and I was sure that I'd doomed myself. I thought I had what it took to be a soldier, but had no idea what the risks were. To this day, I don't really know how I managed to get back to the ship, but I managed to get off planet before they reached me."

"How could you have possibly managed all of this without anyone knowing about it?"

"...My father...convinced the captain of our ship to keep me out of the incident report. It was the only time in his life that he'd had to pull strings with anyone...he prided himself on being honest...and I forced him to lie. He never forgave me for that. I thought I knew what I wanted, but my passion nearly killed me. I didn't want Alaia doing the same."

"Being an artist if far different than being a soldier, Haal."

"I know how most artists expect to become famous and wealthy, but end up broken and disappointed. They devote themselves completely to what they do and fail to develop any other skills, dooming them to die feeling as though they wasted their lives for nothing. That thought...thinking that Alaia would make the same mistake I made and end up hurt...it terrified me."

Haal sat down on their bed, putting his head in his hands. Palana sat next to him, putting her hand on his leg. "I understand your fears, but Alaia didn't need you to tell her what she should do. She needed your support, no matter what she wanted to do with her life. Instead, she thinks she's nothing more than a trophy daughter to you."

Haal's thoughts fell back to the last time he'd talked to his daughter, where he dismissed her painting with such cold indifference and made her more upset than he'd ever seen her. For the first time, Haal was forced to deal the thought that he'd made his daughter hate him. Before he could think about it further, his omni-tool beeped, indicating he was receiving a message. Activating his omni-tool hesitantly, he saw that the call was from Taio back on the Ictomy. Answering the call, he said, "Haal here."

_"Captain. It's good to hear your voice, sir. Do you have Alaia?"_

"Not yet. It's...complicated."

_"I'm sorry to hear that, sir...but there's something you need to know."_

Noticing the tone of his voice, Haal became concerned. "Well? Out with it."

_"Earlier this morning...the Admiralty convened to make a decision about our war with the geth. They decided it's time to retake Rannoch."_

Both Haal and Palana knew what this meant and their hearts dropped at the prospect. "What? Are they insane?!" Haal yelled, standing up and pacing as he tried to make sense of what he'd just been told. "We're nowhere near ready for a war with the geth, especially given the reaper invasion!"

_"Some are arguing that the reapers are exactly why we need to retake the homeworld. We may not get another chance."_

"So they'll just throw our people against the geth with the half assed artillery they've forced us to attach to our ship! I won't have it! Take the Ictomy out of the Flotilla! I will not have my crew killed just so Gerrel can play hero!"

_"I'm sorry, sir. I can't do that."_

Haal, at first, couldn't believe what he'd just been told. "What did you say?"

_"I can't stand idly by while my fellow quarians fight and die to retake our homeworld...and neither can our crew. I've made my decision."_

Haal's anger turned to rage as he realized how powerless he had become. "You...arrogant, backstabbing, brainless...BOSH'TET! I trusted you, and you choose to throw our people at the geth to be slaughtered!"

Palana would normally interject, but she knew she would only end up saying the same thing Haal had.

_"I'm sorry you feel that way, but my father died trying to give us an edge over the geth...he deserves to have his death not be in vain. If we're successful, I will submit to any punishment you see fit when you get back. Goodbye, sir...and good luck." _Taio ended the call there, knowing Haal would not be willing to hear any more.

Haal stood in the middle of the room, his breathing becoming labored as he tried to contain the anger that was building in his stomach. Palana carefully stood up and approached him. "Haal...are you alright?"

He didn't answer at first, his omni-tool still buzzing after the call had ended. "...First, I lose my daughter...now, I've lost my ship! My crew is about to be destroyed by those infernal machines and my daughter may be dying on an alien world...and there's nothing I can do about it!" He was at a loss for anything else to say as Palana walked in front of him, lifting his head by his helmet so his eyes would meet hers, and embraced him. Haal returned the hug immediately, relishing in the comfort as everything he'd ever cared about hung in the balance.

Mess Hall

Narala continued to sip what must have been her tenth cup of coffee as she watched Nick and Telius play a card game with Samantha. It was obvious they were playing to relieve stress, but they still seemed to be having fun regardless. Nick was his usual cocky self as he laid down two pairs of cards and pulled the pile of credits toward him as Telius and Samantha groaned. She smiled as her thoughts turned back to only a few weeks prior when she, Mike, and several other people who worked with them were playing Skyllian Five as they usually did every Saturday. The memory of Mike's smile as he won a few hands brought butterflies to her stomach. Her eyes watered slightly as she quickly worked to wipe them away before the others noticed.

Then, Samantha called back to her, "Hey, Narala?"

Looking up, Narala answered, "Yeah?"

"Why don't you join us?"

Narala waved her hand and smiled. "No, thank you. I wouldn't be very good right now."

"That's not stopping these two!" Nick called out, lauging at the large pile of credits in front of him.

"C'mon, 'Rala." Telius urged. "We're all worried, but if you don't do something to take your mind off of it, you'll go crazy. Just one game?"

Narala was tempted to dismiss the idea again, but after looking at all of their faces staring at her with their encouraging smiles, she sighed, "Okay, one game. You hear me? One game."

"Fine by me," Nick said, "just more credits for me."

Narala moved over to their table and grabbed the deck of cards on the table. With amazing dexterity, she shuffled the cards first upwards, then downwards, behind her head, from one hand to the other at arms width, and finally with one hand before putting the deck back on the table. Samantha chuckled at Nick as he remembered how many times he'd lost to her on all of those Saturday nights. "Deal the cards, Telius." Narala said with a smile.

Smiling at Nick's imminent downfall, Telius said, "Yes, ma'am."

Crew Deck 6

"How's Rachel been doing?" One marine asked another as they patrolled the halls.

"I got a call from her yesterday after Earth got hit. She wanted to know if I was alright." The other replied, checking his assault rifle.

"If they keep us next to this relay like this, I don't think we'll be alright for long."

"I hear ya, that footage from Earth...I'm not sure I'm up for something this big."

"It doesn't seem like we have much-" Suddenly, a slight thud echoed through the hall, catching their attention. "You hear that?"

"Yeah..." They turned around to face the source of the noise, but saw nothing. They each looked at one another, their rifles trained down the hall. They slowly moved toward the corner to the next hallway, hugging the wall next to them. When they reached the corner, the marine in front put out three fingers, then two, and finally one as they bolted from behind the corner, their rifles ready to fire. What they saw confused them somewhat. There was a circular cut in the wall next to a viewport, which would normally result in a hull breach and a powerful vacuum, yet there seemed to be another structure on the other side.

"What the..." Before he could say any more, he gasped as he felt an incredible pain go through his back and into his chest. Looking down, he was greeted by the sight of a bloodied sword blade sticking out of his chest. He then heard a loud crack next to him before his world turned black.

As the two marines fell dead on the floor, two female figures de-cloaked behind them, one flicking the blood from her monomolecular blade as the other pressed a finger to her ear. "Hall secured."

As the all clear was called, several other soldiers in white and orange armor exited the circular hole in the hull, each with an almost diamond shaped insignia emblazoned on their chests and shoulders.


	27. Chapter 21: Boarded

Chapter 21: Boarded

SSV Patillo

Shanxi-Theta Relay

2:30 PM Galactic Standard Time

Captain Welch paced across the bridge of his ship, anxious for any sign to indicate Cerberus' arrival. He'd always hated not knowing when an enemy would show themselves, but this seemed to be the most nail biting scenario he'd ever experienced. The silence became unbearable as the ship's sensors continued to scan the area to no avail. Just as Welch was about to ask Jacobs to contact Juarez's ship, she said, "Sir, we're receiving a call from Captain Jaurez."

Welch replied, "Well, that's convenient. Patch him through."

"Aye-aye, sir."

The comm system came to life as Juarez's image appeared on the screen. _"Bill, your sensors picking up anything?"_

"Not yet," Welch answered, "I was just about to call you about that."

_"Hm, we don't even know when they're going to show up. Could be today, tomorrow, next week, even a month from now."_

"I know, but we can't take chances. Have you talked to Makasani?"

_"Unfortunately, yes. He called me a few minutes ago to gripe about your "guests"."_

"Of course he did."

_"Indeed. Well, we'll keep an eye out and let you kno-" _The comm system suddenly cut Juarez off before he could finish.

Welch raised an eyebrow and said to Jacobs, "We lost connection. Hail him back."

"Aye-aye, sir. SSV Apollo, this is SSV Patillo. We lost your signal, please respond, over."

The channel remained eerily silent for a good ten seconds. "Try again."

"I repeat, SSV Apollo, this is SSV Patillo requesting immediate response, over."

Again, there was no answer from the Apollo, raising Welch's suspicions immediately. "I don't like this. Try the Saratoga."

"SSV Saratoga, this is the SSV Patillo requesting comms check, over."

The bridge fell silent in anticipation, only for the call to be unanswered yet again. "Our comms are being jammed." Welch stated, knowing that their enemy had arrived.

"Sir," Jacobs started, "I scanned the area for any jamming signals. The area's clean."

"Then why the comms breakdown?"

"Hold on...I just ran a diagnostic on our comm systems. It looks like they were shut down from the inside."

"Get on the horn with Briggs and Travis down on Deck 6 and tell them to check it out."

"Aye-aye, sir." As she made the call, Welch waved another ensign over to him. The ensign saluted and awaited orders.

"I want you to head down and make sure our guests are secure."

"Aye-aye."

As the ensign entered the elevator, Jacobs looked back at the Captain, clearly concerned. "Sir, I called both of them multiple times, neither of them are answering."

"I knew it." Welch walked up to the comm station. "Is the ship-wide PA still operational?"

"Yes, sir, but some of the receivers have been cut off. Several decks may not get the message."

"It's better than nothing. Open it up."

"Aye-aye, sir."

Meanwhile, in the Mess Hall...

"I'd like to thank you for convincing me to play, Mr. Grani. Don't worry, I'll spend your credits wisely." Narala bragged as she collected the credits from the last hand while Nick grumbled to himself.

"Don't feel too bad, Nick," Telius teased, "technically your credits were hers originally anyway."

"Grrr..." Nick growled in frustration as Samantha chuckled for the first time in the last couple of days.

"Heh, thanks for the game, guys. It helped." Samantha sighed as her thoughts turned back to Nepturus.

"No problem, we all needed a chance to relax." Telius replied.

Narala placed her winnings in her pocket before noticing that Jones and Miles were no longer in the mess hall. "Hey, where'd the marines go?"

"They left a few minutes before our game. The girl wanted to go talk to one of the quarians down in the hangar bay and the guy got jealous and followed her." Nick answered, recovering from his embarrassing loss. Just then, they heard the PA system come to life and begin broadcasting a message.

_"Attention all personnel. This is Captain Welch speaking. We have been boarded by a hostile force. Lock down all elevators and secure all armaments. This is not a drill. I repeat, this is NOT a drill. All non-military personnel are ordered to stay in your quarters until the danger has passed."_

"What does he mean by "hostile force"?" Samantha asked nervously.

"I don't know," Telius responded, "but we need to get back to the bunks, now."

Nick nodded in agreement as he pulled out his hand cannon. "If it's any of those freaks tearing Earth apart, I've got a few choice words for them."

"Save the smart remarks until we're in a more secure place, Mr. Grani." Narala said.

Just as they were about to open the door out of the mess hall, Telius caught the subtle sounds of footsteps on the other side. "Wait. Back up." He whispered, everyone doing as he said as they waited for whoever was on the other side to make their move. Both Nick and Telius had their pistols trained on the door as Narala flared her biotics in preparation. Samantha cursed herself for not having a gun or any other weapon with which to defend herself, she hated being a damsel in distress.

Then, just as sheer silence fell upon the room, the doors hissed open loudly to reveal five or six soldiers clad in white and orange armor and an all too familiar insignia on their chests. "Cerberus! Shit!" Nick shouted as he opened fire on them almost immediately, forcing them behind cover long enough for him and the others to jump behind a table, Telius kicking it over instinctively to give them better protection.

The Cerberus troops returned fire in precision bursts, forcing their targets to stay down to avoid their fire. Nick and Telius returned fire when they could, succeeding only in forcing the invaders back into their cover. "Squad, move up!" One of the troops called out as he pushed their manpower advantage.

"Cocky little assholes, aren't they?" Nick remarked, firing on them as they pushed forward into the room, managing to hit one in the shoulder but only grazing his shields.

"Shut up and help me move the table back!" Telius ordered, grabbing one end of the table while Nick took the other. They all shuffled back while the two security guards pulled their cover back to a better position, all the while being fired upon.

"Surrender your weapons and you won't be harmed!" Another Cerberus trooper yelled out, trying to end the fight quickly with minimal hassle.

"Interesting proposal!" Nick yelled back, jumping out from cover and firing several shots at the trooper in question, knocking him off his feet. "There's our rebuttal!"

"Gah! We don't have enough clips on us to whittle their shields down. We need another plan." Telius said, doing his best to keep their foes pinned while he thought of a good strategy.

Narala, sick of feeling helpless, tapped Nick and Telius on the shoulders and said, "Cover me." Unsure of what she was going to do, they did as they were told and sent out a barrage of bullets to keep the Cerberus troops down while Narala's biotics flared up around her. Suddenly, the unmistakable sound of mass effect fields being generated popped up behind them as Samantha turned around to see every other table, chair, dish, coffee cup and utensil in the room begin to lift off of the floor and float in mid-air.

Narala grunted in effort as she fought to build up the strength for what she would do next. One of the troopers called out, "Look out! Biotics!", but was too late as Narala let out a loud yell and thrust her arms forward, sending everything she'd lifted careening toward their attackers, hitting their intended targets with devastating accuracy. Most of the troopers were sent flying into the wall behind them while the others were knocked on their backs in a daze.

Taking advantage of the situation, Nick and Telius jumped up from cover and began firing on the downed troopers, putting most of them down before they had a chance to recover. One trooper managed to get to his feet as they were forced to reload, nearly taking a shot before Telius jumped over the table and knocked his gun away with a kick. The trooper threw a punch at Telius' face, only to have it caught and twisted in the former turian soldier's expert grip, breaking his arm before having his head smashed into Telius' knee, effectively knocking him out cold and finishing him off with his pistol, ending the fight in seconds.

The skirmish having ended, Nick let out a loud laugh and walked over to Telius, "Damn! Nice work, Blasto."

Shaking off Nick's jokes, Telius said, "Don't celebrate yet, there'll be more. You alright, 'Rala?"

Narala had braced herself against the table, having expended a lot of energy using her biotics on such a large scale. "I'm fine, just...give me a minute to catch my breath."

"I haven't seen you throw a biotic fit like that since that time you nearly threw that cargo crate at me a year back." Nick quipped after taking one of the dead trooper's rifles.

Telius then checked on Samantha. "How about you, Sam? You good?"

"Give me one of those assault rifles and I will be." Samantha said as Telius took one of the guns from their downed attackers and handed it to her.

"If you need help figuring out how to work it, just-" Telius offer was interrupted by Samantha ejecting the used thermal clip and adjusting the sight on the gun with great efficiency and speed before collapsing it and extending it to show off. "-nevermind. Narala, you want one too?"

Narala shook her head. "You know I've never been good with guns. I'll stick with my biotics."

"Right. Well, I don't think heading for the crew deck is a good idea. These guys aren't screwing around."

"No kidding," Nick added, "I heard Cerberus wasn't too friendly with the Alliance, but I didn't think they'd be crazy enough to attack one of their ships. Damn terrorists."

"Think we should bunker down here, Nick?" Telius suggested.

"Nah, it's too open. We need to get to the cargo hold and get off the ship."

"And leave everyone here to die?" Samantha said.

"Hey, I hate to tell you this, but we're not in a great position to fight these guys. Besides, the Alliance boys can handle themselves."

"No, Samantha's right," Narala said sternly, "I'm sick of being useless while other people are fighting for their lives. If we can help here, we should."

Nick looked over to Telius, who nodded in agreement to Narala's statement. Sighing deeply, Nick said, "Yeah, you're right. What's our next move?"

"Just the four of us won't be able to hold out in close quarters with these guys for long." Telius stated, trying to think of a strategy. "We need to link up with the marines, but I have no idea where they'd be and we can't just go wandering the ship aimlessly."

The room fell silent for a moment, the four deep in thought, until Samantha snapped her fingers, "Wait, Palana and her husband came aboard with a squad of quarian marines. They'll all be together on the crew deck."

"Good thinking. Alright, let's take it slow heading down there. I'll take point. Nick, you take the rear. Narala, Samantha, stay between us." Telius ordered, raising his weapon as he checked the area outside of the mess hall. Signaling with his hand that the coast was clear, the other followed him down the hall.

Meanwhile, on Deck 3...

"We need to be strong, Haal. Not just for ourselves, but for the marines. They look to you for guidance and strength." Palana comforted her husband as he sat on a bunk, staring at the floor in self-pity.

"I know...but it's difficult to show fortitude when you're home is being taken to war against your will. How could Taio do this? I trusted him!" Haal answered, his fist clenching at the thought of his friend and first officer going against his wishes.

"He is doing what he feels is right."

"Yes, but that doesn't make it so. He's risking the well being of every man, woman, and child aboard the Ictomy in a doomed war against the geth. He's completely ignoring the wishes of the people under his command and forcing them into a situation they know is wrong for them. He's...he's...he's doing exactly what I've been doing with our daughter..."

As Haal placed his head in one hand, Palana wrapped her arms around him. "Sometimes, in our quest to do what we feel is right for those we love, we don't take into account what they feel is right for them. But don't think for a moment that you were being selfish. You wanted to ensure her future and her happiness. In the end, that's all that matters." Haal looked up into his wife's mask, not really smiling, but nodding in appreciation, though he didn't quite believe all of what she'd said.

Suddenly, six of the quarian marines ran into the room, guns ready, the squad leader in front. "Captain Haal, sir! The ship's been boarded. It's Cerberus!"

Caught off-guard, Haal said, "What?! Why wasn't an alarm raised?"

"The troopers infiltrated the ship and started shutting down comms. My men and I ran into some of them while we were coming back from the cargo hold."

Regaining his composure, Haal said, "Casualties?"

"Corporal Sivik'Topol was killed upon first contact. We were separated near the elevators, so I'm not sure of the rest of the squad's status, sir."

Quickly analyzing the situation, Haal came to a decision. "We're better off remaining here and fortifying our quarters. Have your men place some automated turrets outside in the hall and lockdown any entrances."

The squad leader then said, "Captain, I'd like permission to take two of my men and try to find the rest of my squad."

"No, we can't afford to lose any more of you."

"I understand, sir. We'll fortify the room and see about getting into contact with the other squad members over comms."

"Very good. Get to it."

The squad leader saluted and started passing out assignments to the others while Palana said, "I can't believe this. First the reapers, now Cerberus! It's as if the entire galaxy wants to destroy us."

"I will not allow them to harm you or any more of our men. We'll be safe here, for now."

Palana then wrapped both her arms around one of his and hugged him tightly, taking strength from his confident exterior. Haal held her close for a a while before she released him from her embrace. "I'll help the men lock down the doors."

"You don't have to-"

"Yes I do. I need to do something to help or I'll go crazy." As she went to help the marines, Haal looked out the window, taking as much solace in the endless abyss of space before the battle reached them, which he knew it would.

Meanwhile, in the Cargo Hold...

"What the hell is going on?" Private Jones asked aloud, fuming over his omni-tool. "I've tried contacting the bridge ten times now and there's still no answer."

"It is more than likely a communications breakdown." Gelek'Turen responded as he attempted to contact his own squad.

"Thanks for the professional diagnosis, Doctor Obvious."

"Give it a rest, Jeremy." Private Miles rebuked, silencing him for the moment. "This isn't right. If there was a total comms blackout, they would have activated the ship's backup landlines, but those are offline too."

Just then, some very faint static came in over Gelek's omni-tool. "Gel...eed...sitance...open...go bay...now!"

"What was that? I didn't copy. I repeat, I did not copy." Gelek attempted to get them to reiterate.

"We're comin...deck 5...open the door..."

As the transmission ended, Gelek ran over to the entrance to the cargo hold and prepared to the open the door, his weapon drawn. Miles and Jones pulled out their pistols and took positions on the other side. Gelek gave a quick nod and opened the door, both he and the two marines training their sights on the hallway as the sounds of gunfire echoed toward them. Just as Gelek was about to enter the hallway, the sound of a door hissing open around the corner heralded a barrage of gunfire ricocheting into the hallway as five quarians scrambled inside, firing behind them as the desperately attempted to seal the door they came through. One of the marines caught sight of Gelek, Miles, and Jones. "Get ready to seal the door behind us! There must be a whole platoon of them!"

"Of what?" Lucy asked as she and Gelek ran up to assist them.

"Cerberus! They're crawling all over the ship! Hurry up and get that door sealed!"

"Done!" The marine called out as they made their way back to the cargo hold, keeping their eyes trained on the hall behind them as the sound of fusion cutters tearing through the door told them that the Cerberus troops were already making short work of the door.

Once everyone was in the cargo hold, Gelek turned to Private Miles, "Lucy, help me lock down the-" Before he could finish, the lights in the cargo hold, as well as down the hall, went out, thrusting them into complete darkness.

"Oh crap, they cut the power!" Jones called out as a loud thud was heard coming from the door down the hall.

Gelek turned on his omni-tool's flashlight to illuminate the hall, revealing the Cerberus troopers taking up positions in the door ways. "There they are! Take them out!" One of the troopers ordered, starting a barrage of gunfire towards the cargo hold.

The quarian and human marines bolted for cover, doing their best to keep their foes suppressed. "If we can't seal the door, we'll just have to fight them off until help arrives." Gelek said, sending a few shots down the hall.

"IF help arrives." Jones said pessimistically.

The Cerberus troops continued to send wave after wave of bullets down the hall and into the cargo bay, one of which managed to hit one of the quarians in the leg and sent him falling to ground screaming, "I'm hit!"

"Hold on!" Gelek said to himself as he fired blindly towards their attackers to give him time to roll over to the injured quarian and pull him out of the way.

Another of the quarians shouted out, "We're running out of ammo! We need to seal this door! Now!"

Lucy darted her eyes around the darkened cargo bay, trying to think of any way possible to get power to the door. Finally, inspiration struck as she saw the quarians' ship. "I've got an idea! Gelek, does your ship have an outward power outlet?"

"Yes, why- Ms. Miles, you're brilliant!" Understanding her plan, Gelek turned to another quarian and said, "Keep these bosh'tets busy just a little longer! We have a plan!"

"Work quickly!" He replied before turning to the others, "Covering fire!"

"What the hell are you guys doing?" Jones asked Lucy before she and Gelek bolted toward the ship.

"No time! Help the quarians!"

Looking frustrated, he murmured, "_Pain in the ass._" He then continued his barage of gunfire down the hall, managing to kill one of the Cerberus troopers with a headshot. "You storm trooper idiots picked a bad day to screw with me!"

Gelek pulled a maintenance panel off of the side of the quarian ship while Lucy hurriedly scrounged through a cargo crate and pulled out a long cable with oddly shaped plugs on each end. Coiling it around her arm, Lucy rushed back to Gelek, who had located the power outlet, and plugged one side of the cable into the outlet while Gelek ran into the ship to activate its power supply. Lucy then ran to a panel next to the doors, nudging a quarian out of the way as she pulled it off of the wall. She plugged the other end of the cable into a receptacle in the wall and typed a code into a pad next to it. She shouted toward the quarians' ship, "Okay, Gelek. Now!"

Hearing her signal, Gelek began the power transfer, firing up the ship's emergency power cell just as the Cerberus troops began making a push toward the cargo bay. Lucy waited for several seconds for the holographic control panel to pop up next to the door, her teeth grinding in anticipation as one of the quarians shouted, "They're charging!"

Then, just as the troopers were about to reach the door, the control panel flickered to life. Lucy pressed the close command as quickly as she could, causing the doors to shut just in time, leaving the room lit by nothing more than the nearby relay. She typed in a command to activated the door's kinetic barrier to prevent the troopers from cutting through it and leaned against the wall, sighing in relief along with all the others in the room.

"Keelah, that was close!" One of the quarians exclaimed as he moved to check on his wounded comrade.

Jones wiped the sweat from his brow and walked over to Lucy saying, "You guys couldn't have done that any earlier?"

"Give it a rest, Jeremy. I didn't see you coming up with any brilliant ideas." She replied, not in the mood for Jones' attitude.

"Woah, calm down, I was just kidding. Good work."

Gelek stepped out of the ship and ran over to the injured quarian. "How is he?" He asked the medic attending him.

"Not as bad as it could have been. He suit's seals isolated the area well enough, but the bullet tore straight through the bone. He's not walking anywhere like this." The medic answered.

"Well, that's just as well. We're trapped in here until help arrives." Gelek then turned to Lucy and said, "That was quick thinking, Ms. Miles. Feeding energy from our ship's emergency outlet into the door's backup systems."

Lucy smiled and replied, "I wasn't sure if it would work, but I figured anything was worth a try."

"Okay, so we got the door locked down," Jones started, "but what do we do now?"

"We'll have to remain here until help arrives." Gelek said, no less thrilled about the idea than anyone else.

"We can't just sit here and wait for them to figure out a way past the door!"

"We don't have a choice. That door is our only way out and we can't risk opening it, so we'll have keep this room locked down until reinforcements arrive."

"And if they don't come? Then what?"

"You don't have very much faith in your fellow crew members, do you?"

"That's not what I'm saying. I'm just saying we need a backup plan if it turns out they're the ones that need our help."

"Hm," Gelek thought for a moment before turning to Lucy, "what do you think?"

"Me?" She replied. "Well...right now, I think we should try and gather up as many supplies as we can and try to figure out an alternate way out of here in case we need to leave."

"Yeah, what she said." Jones agreed.

"I agree." Gelek turned to his fellow marines and said, "Alright, we need to secure all of the useful supplies in this room and start scouting for alternate exit routes. Remember, Captain Koran is still on board somewhere, so we'll need to join back up with him and the rest of our squad sooner or later. Let's move." Acknowledging his order, the quarians spread out and started searching every container for supplies while others scouted for an escape route.

"What are we gonna do?" Jones asked.

Lucy replied, "I'm going to keep trying to reach someone over my omni-tool. You can help me search for any signals coming from other parts of the ship."

"Alright, anything's better than just sitting around waiting for them to bust down the door."

Lucy and Jones began working in their omni-tools and Gelek helped the quarian medic move the injured marine to a more comfortable spot. Gelek set the marine down on a cargo crate, allowing the medic to begin work setting the bone and administering anti-biotics as he went back over to the ship and entered the cockpit. He checked the readout near the pilot's seat which read E-cell Stored Chargeand saw that the power from the emergency power cell was draining at a steady rate. At the rate the power was draining, the door would only have power for another hour and a half. Gelek sighed and thought to himself, _I hope the Captain is safe...because we are anything but._


End file.
